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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 5. Considering the Christian 
Sabbath, we're looking at part 2 this morning. Just want to 
read Deuteronomy 5, 12 to 15, I'll pray, and then we'll look 
at the material. Deuteronomy 5, verse 12, observe the Sabbath 
day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days 
you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is 
the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, 
you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your 
female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your 
cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your 
male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 
And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the 
Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and 
by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God 
commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Well, let us pray. Father 
in heaven, we come to what some consider to be a controversial 
subject. We ask that you would guide us 
now by the Holy Spirit, give us wisdom, give us understanding, 
give us grace to see that none of the commandments of God are 
burdensome, cause us to reflect upon the blessedness of a God 
who gives His people the gift of a day, a day to cease from 
their worldly labors, a day to come in from out of the world, 
to gather together in the presence of God, to sanctify the day, 
to call it a delightful day, to keep it as a holy day. We 
ask now that You would bless us and help us, Lord God, in 
this. Guide us by the Spirit, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, when we consider the doctrine 
of the Sabbath, we look at the exposition of this commandment, 
and then last time we looked at the Sabbath in the Old Covenant. This morning we're going to take 
up the Sabbath in the New Covenant under the few headings of the 
ministry of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and then the teaching 
of the apostles. But just by way of a bit of a 
review, we see Sabbatarianism, or Sabbath-keeping, first patterned 
by God. In Genesis chapter 2, verses 
1 to 3, it serves as a pattern or a paradigm for the created 
order. On the heels of that account, 
we have Cain and Abel coming at the end of days, the end of 
the days of the week, to bring sacrifice that Adam had commanded 
them on the day that Adam had commanded them. We see that the 
Sabbath is pre-Sinai in terms of observance. In Exodus chapter 
16, they were supposed to gather on the sixth day, a daily portion, 
so that they would not have to work on the seventh day, the 
Sabbath day. Of course, we see the giving 
of the law and the codification of the Sabbath in the Fourth 
Commandment. In Exodus chapter 20, the rationale 
for Sabbath-keeping is the reality that God created the heavens 
and the earth in the space of six days. The rationale in Deuteronomy 
is that God redeemed Israel out of bondage in Egypt. So those 
twin themes of creation and redemption obtain in Old Covenant Sabbath-keeping. I will argue they obtain in New 
Covenant Sabbath-keeping as well, and our text for that will be 
Hebrews 4. Before we turn there, it's going to be in a few minutes, 
but just a bit of a review. You see the Sabbath in the Prophets, 
Jeremiah 31, 31 to 34, doesn't mention anything particular to 
Sabbath, but mentions about New Covenant blessing. In the times 
of Messiah, in the time of the New Covenant, the Lord God will 
indeed write His law on the hearts of His redeemed people. He will 
give them a knowledge of Himself. He will forgive their sins, all 
features that were present in the Old Covenant, but were not 
essential. In the New Covenant, those are 
essential features. Anyone in the New Covenant must 
be identified as one who's been forgiven of sin, one who's had 
the law of God internalized, including the Fourth Commandment, 
and those who have the Spirit abiding in them. We see in the 
prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 56, it is a prophecy concerning New 
Covenant reality. And the New Covenant is going 
to see the inclusion of eunuchs. Deuteronomy 23.1 forbids eunuchs 
from entering into the assembly of the Lord. Well, in Isaiah 
56, we learn that the eunuchs will be able to come to the house 
of God. You see that fulfilled in Acts 
chapter 8, when Philip meets that Ethiopian eunuch. And that 
Ethiopian eunuch is baptized, and he's added to the very church 
of God Most High. And then in Isaiah 58, the prophet 
upbraids the nation for two ordinances that they had engaged in with 
the wrong motives. fasting and Sabbath keeping. 
And again, that section in Isaiah 50 points to new covenant blessing. It all hinges upon or is rooted 
in Isaiah 53 and the substitutionary atoning work of the servant of 
Yahweh, the Lord Jesus Christ. So based on what he has done, 
there are certain features essential to new covenant religion that 
the prophets speak of. So when we get to the new covenant, 
we see those things come to fruition. And when it comes to the law 
of God Most High, remember the threefold division. There is 
that ceremonial law, those feast days that we just read about 
in Exodus 23. Those prefigured, those typified 
the coming Messiah. Those are fulfilled by Him, so 
there is no longer an obligation on the New Covenant Church to 
hold to the ceremonial law. There is the judicial law, which 
is that section in Exodus that we are reading. The Ten Commandments 
are given in Exodus 20, and then there are case law, concrete 
examples of how to do society. That is the judicial law. Again, 
it has expired with the Commonwealth of Israel, but there is a general 
equity that obtains. And then, of course, the moral 
law. That's Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments. That's Deuteronomy 
5, the Ten Commandments. That is abiding. That is perpetual. That continues. That has not 
been abrogated. It has not been fulfilled. It 
has not been done away with. Christ fulfilled the ceremonial 
law. The Jews or the Commonwealth 
of Israel is dissolved, so there is no more judicial law, technically 
speaking. But the moral law is extant. It is for us, and it's not just 
9 out of the 10 commandments, but rather it is all 10 of the 
commandments. Now, as a Reformed church that 
subscribes to a Reformed confession, we affirm a Reformed hermeneutic. So, if the New Testament doesn't 
get rid of something, then it continues to be binding for us. I realize there are persons that 
suggest that the New Covenant does do away with Sabbath-keeping. 
We'll take up those alleged anti-Sabbatarian texts, God willing, next Sunday, 
but for now, I want to consider the Sabbath and the New Covenant. 
Turn first with me to Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5, 
as we look at the ministry of Christ, I have two sub points 
here. First, his doctrine concerning 
the law, and second, his practice concerning the Sabbath. We'll 
take up first his doctrine concerning the law in Matthew 5, 17 to 20. Look at what it says. Whoever therefore breaks one 
of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be 
called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and 
teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the 
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no 
means enter the kingdom of heaven." So what we have here is Christ's 
hermeneutic. Now, kids, the word hermeneutics 
simply means principles of interpretation. If you don't know what principles 
means, too bad. You're going to have to ask your 
parents at lunch. But the idea is that when we 
come to the Bible, there's some frame of reference by which we 
interpret the Bible. In other words, what you put 
in in terms of exegesis is what you get out in terms of application. I said that if you have not been 
in a Reformed church, you will have heard the allegation that 
Reformed people who believe that the Sabbath is still perpetual 
for us are legalistic, or we're Judaizing the New Testament. 
Well, again, that's a result of their hermeneutic. either 
dispensational theology or new covenant theology, with the hermeneutic 
they put in, they come out on the other side with no Sabbath. It is different for the reform. 
The hermeneutic that we utilize comes out on the other side with 
an abiding Sabbath. Again, it goes back to the threefold 
division of the law, threefold use of the law, and all those 
sorts of things. But Christ is setting forth now 
his hermeneutic. how he deals with the Bible, 
how he deals with the Old Testament. His popularity and his fame had 
been spreading. There were people that were drawing 
nigh to hear him. In fact, we see that at the outset 
of the Sermon on the Mount. All the multitudes drew to him. 
He sits down in the position of an official rabbinic teacher, 
and he expounds the Word of God. not only for his disciples, but 
for the multitudes. No doubt religious leaders had 
come because they had heard of the popularity of Jesus, and 
one of the pressing issues would no doubt have been, what does 
he think about Moses? What does he think about Isaiah? 
What does he think about what we now call the Old Testament? 
In other words, how does he handle the scriptures? So he sets forth 
these principles. In the first place, he says, 
do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did 
not come to destroy, but to fulfill. He does this in his work. He 
doesn't invalidate the law or the prophets, that means the 
Old Testament, but rather he fulfills it. In other words, 
what it says concerning him, Deuteronomy 18, a prophet will 
be raised up among the children of Israel, him you shall hear. 
2 Samuel chapter 7, a son of David that would build the house 
for God. Isaiah 53, the suffering servant, 
who would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and 
who would go to the cross for us men and for our salvation. 
So he doesn't come to invalidate or to abrogate or to destroy 
the law and the prophets, but he comes to fulfill it in his 
own work. the fulfillment of all that was 
written of Him in the prophets, and the active obedience of Christ 
to everything written in terms of law. He had to fulfill that 
in order for us to achieve this righteousness. We will never 
fulfill that law perfectly. We will never do it perpetually. 
We will never do it exactly, and we'll never do it entirely. 
So if the priest does not come, the representative of his people 
does not come and do that for us, then we will perish in hell 
forever. But he fulfills all righteousness. 
He carries out every obligation of the law, and he does that 
so that we can receive a righteousness imputed to us and received by 
faith alone. He fulfills the ceremonial law. 
in the sacrifice of himself. He's not only the priest, but 
he's the victor. He's not only the offerer, but 
he is the offer. He is the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. And thus, in the work of Christ, 
he fulfills the law and the prophets in his actions. Spurgeon says, 
he is himself the fulfillment and substance of the types and 
prophecies and commands of the law. Secondly, he fulfills the 
law in his doctrine. And this is what he sets forth 
here. Do not think, the tense of the verb suggests we ought 
to interpret it this way. Do not let it even begin to arise 
in your mind that I have come to destroy the law and the prophets. 
I didn't come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, I have 
come rather to fulfill them. And by fulfill he means, again, 
so that we might have a righteousness, but by fulfill he's confirming, 
he is strengthening, he is demonstrating the beauty and the glory of it. 
Again, Spurgeon makes the observation. Our king honors his father's 
law. He took care to revise and reform 
the laws of men, but the law of God he established and confirmed. Our king has not come to abrogate 
the law, but to confirm and reassert it. So he makes that statement, 
do not even let it begin to rise up. Don't even begin to think 
that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come 
to destroy, but to fulfill. Notice the abiding perpetuity 
of God's moral law. We already see that the ceremonial 
is fulfilled by Jesus. The judicial expires with the 
Commonwealth of Israel. But in verse 18, I say to you, 
till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by 
no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." So he confirms 
it according to Spurgeon. I think he's right there. He 
strengthens the obligation even under the new covenant. It's 
not the case that we are to disregard it or to relegate it. It's not 
the case that because Jesus fulfilled the law relative to the seventh 
commandment, that now we can go out and commit adultery, or 
that Jesus has fulfilled the law relative to the sixth commandment, 
we can go out and commit murder. Well, that Jesus has fulfilled 
the law concerning the Sabbath doesn't mean that we're free 
now to have no obligation with reference to the Sabbath. That 
is a non sequitur. It does not follow, and that 
is not what Christ is doing. In terms of his hermeneutic, 
he issues this caution against those who breaks Or verse 19, 
whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments 
and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of 
heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called 
great in the kingdom of heaven. So in terms of an antinomian, 
those who do not have a high regard for the law, he nevertheless 
says they will be least in the kingdom of heaven. But notice 
what he says concerning legalism or neo-Nomianism in verse 20. 
He says, Notice it's the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees 
that is the target. not the righteousness of the 
law of Moses. And in verses 21 to 44, he goes 
on to give a series of antitheses between what has been said in 
Pharisaic misinterpretation to what has always been the original 
purpose given by God in the giving of the law. So Christ's hermeneutic, 
Christ's principle of interpretation, Christ's framework with dealing 
with the law is one that is pro-law. He's not an antinomian, and that 
simply means one who gets rid of, one who is against, or one 
who disregards the law of God. He's also not a neonomian or 
what we call a legalist. He knows that the righteousness 
that is demanded by him in the Sermon on the Mount is afforded 
by him in terms of his redemptive work on behalf of his people. 
So Christ navigates between antinomianism and neonomianism and sets forth 
parameters so that the church can do likewise. So with reference 
to the ministry of Christ, we see his doctrine concerning the 
law. It's like Jeremiah 31, 31 to 
34. Doesn't say anything about the 
law, the law of the Sabbath, but it tells you how you're supposed 
to think about the law in general, and then the particular commandments 
in particular. And then with reference to his 
practice concerning the Sabbath, we see that in Matthew 12. You 
can turn there. So there's general, overarching, 
pro-law sentiment on the part of our blessed Savior. And then 
we see his practice concerning the Sabbath in Matthew chapter 
12, verses 1 to 14. And when Jesus teaches, he is 
also giving us some necessary qualifications with reference 
to the law. We looked at this two weeks ago in part one, when 
we considered Mark. God didn't make the man so that 
the man could observe the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath as a gift 
given for the man. And we need to understand the 
original intention of God. John tells us in 1 John 5, 3, 
His commandments are not burdensome. In Isaiah 58, 13 and 14, we're 
to call the Sabbath a delight. Brethren, I've debated this and 
talked about this and preached about this as a confessional 
Baptist since the time I was in ministry. And when we propagate 
the doctrine of the Christian Sabbath, much to the chagrin 
of the opponents of the Christian Sabbath, this isn't legalism. This isn't Judaizing. This is 
rather liberation. It is rather a blessed gift. 
It is rather something good that our God gives us. Our God who 
commands us to rejoice is a God who gives us a day upon which 
to rejoice in his presence. So with reference to Christ, 
we see these Sabbath wars that he engages the Pharisees and 
the religious leaders in. And in the first section in Matthew 
12, one to eight, notice in verse one, at that time, Jesus went 
through the grain fields on the Sabbath and his disciples were 
hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when 
the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, look, your disciples 
are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. These guys 
were the consummate fault finders. These were the consummate Karens. These were the guys that just 
tried to make life miserable. I think the best illustration 
of what's called Christian fundamentalism, if you know what that means, 
you'll understand. It's the strange idea that somewhere, 
someone is actually enjoying themselves. We need to eradicate 
that mindset. And here I think those in the 
context of the church ate the government at times. But with 
reference to these guys, they say, look, your disciples are 
doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. Well, that's 
not charged rhetoric, is it? That's not a simple question. 
That's not a simple, you know, call for understanding. Well, 
what does Jesus do? Does Jesus say, Oh yeah, you're 
right. We're Sabbath breaking wretches. No, he says you're 
wrong. You don't understand the scope 
of the Sabbath. When it came to David, they went 
into the holy place and they ate the bread that was for the 
priests only. Would it have been better for 
them to die? They needed food, they needed resources, they needed 
health and strength in order that they might go forth in the 
fear of God, conquering the enemies of God. He then invokes, after 
David, he invokes the priests. They work on the Sabbath day. 
They had back-to-back services. It's likely to kill them. There's 
a lot of labor involved in preaching back-to-back. Brethren, if you 
pray practically, pray they'd open the churches again so we 
can get a bit of space between the time. But in terms of the 
priests, they labored on the Sabbath, and they weren't violating 
that holy day. And then Jesus asserts his superiority 
over temple. And that's a major theme in New 
Testament theology. Christ has not come to replace 
the temple. You hear it referred to at times 
as replacement theology. Covenant theology is not replacement 
theology. It is fulfillment theology. It is organic. The promises made 
to Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob come to fruition in the Israel 
of God, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. The temple was, for 
a time, it pointed forward to the one that would be superior 
and over and supreme. In other words, the one the temple 
pointed to is the primary, is the superior one. And then notice 
as well, with reference to his teaching, he is the Lord of the 
Sabbath. So verse 8, for the Son of Man 
is Lord even of the Sabbath. But in this particular context, 
our Lord Jesus shows us that the works of necessity are consistent 
with Sabbath keeping. In other words, it's not a cessation 
from life. It's not sit in your living room 
all day long. But it is rather do good things 
and encourage people, gather in the house of God for the worship 
of God. And there are works of necessity. 
If you are in a position where you have to eat or you'll die, 
then by all means eat. That's not a violation of the 
Sabbath. We approach this commandment 
like we don't with any other. We just have this view of God 
just trying to hedge us in and kill us and be the cosmic Terran 
to ruin our lives. No, that's not it at all. Works 
of necessity are consistent with Sabbath-keeping. But he also 
indicates in the next section that works of mercy are consistent 
with Sabbath-keeping. Notice in verse 9, Now when he 
had departed from there, he went into their synagogue. And behold, 
there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, 
Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, that they might accuse him? Again, 
they're not looking for information. The gospel writers, the evangelists, 
oftentimes tip the hat in terms of what's the actual motivation 
behind these Pharisees or religious leaders. Is it lawful to heal 
on the Sabbath that they might accuse Him? Now, notice. He said 
to them, What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if 
it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift 
it out? Of how much more value then is 
a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do 
good on the Sabbath. Sabbath keeping does not invalidate 
works of mercy. Works of mercy are absolutely 
positively consistent on the Sabbath day. So it's not a cessation 
from labor to the place of inertness or staticness. where you just 
sit on your couch all day and engage in the holy observation 
of Sabbath. No, works of necessity, works 
of mercy, but underscoring this is the outflow of Jesus' overall 
approach to the law. I mentioned before that it would 
be very curious if Christ was going to invalidate or to abrogate 
or to destroy or to do away with the Sabbath, that there would 
be all of these Sabbath wars recorded for us in the gospel 
narratives. Many times that Jesus and his 
opponents butt heads, it is over the doctrine of the Sabbath. 
One man has made this observation. He says, Christ was careful to 
clear it from Jewish corruptions. And if there was any precept 
more particularly vindicated by him and honored than another, 
it was that requiring the Sabbath day to be kept holy. It is not 
the practice of a wise man to repair a house which he is about 
to pull down. Why would he do that? It makes 
no sense. Rather, he vindicates it, and 
he highlights the reality that there is a proper approach to 
Sabbath-keeping, as is there an improper approach. You see 
that in 1 Timothy 1.8. The apostle Paul says, we know, 
this is something the church had settled back then. For whatever 
reason, we don't have this lesson down today. He says, but we know 
that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. If you teach people 
that it's keeping the law that gets them into heaven, you're 
not teaching them properly. If you're teaching them that 
the law has been abrogated and it is no longer a revelation 
of who God is and a pattern for your sanctification, then you 
are teaching it unlawfully. But when you have that threefold 
use of the law and you use it lawfully, then that is a great 
benefit and something the church must engage. And so Jesus uses 
the law lawfully and he distinguishes it from the malpractice of the 
religious leaders in his time. So we have the ministry of Christ, 
his doctrine concerning the law and his practice concerning the 
Sabbath. Now let's look at the resurrection 
of Christ. He rose the first day of the 
week, Matthew 28. Matthew chapter 28. We'll just 
read the passages because this is absolutely crucial. Matthew 
28 one. Now after the Sabbath, that's 
the seventh day, Saturday Sabbath, as the first day of the week 
began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see 
the tomb. So it was the first day of the 
week upon which our Lord had risen from the dead. Turn over 
to Mark's gospel, Mark 16. Mark 16. Each of the gospel writers indicate 
this for us. The reason why they indicate 
for us is that there has been a shift in terms of the day upon 
which the church celebrates Sabbath. Now, while you're turning there, 
I'll remind you of something I think I said in part one. When 
it comes to the Sabbath commandment, it is both moral law and ceremonial. Or we might say it's both moral 
and positive. The moral aspect is one day out 
of seven, the people of God worship the God of the people. The ceremonial 
or positive aspect is the day upon which, conditioned by the 
covenant, that the people of God do that. So there are both 
moral and positive elements involved in the Sabbath commandment. But 
notice in Mark 16, one and two. Now, when the Sabbath was passed, 
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices 
that they might come and anoint him. Very early in the morning, 
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the 
sun had risen. Again, Christ rose again on the 
first day of the week. Turn to Luke 24. Luke chapter 
24. If you are curious about my use 
of moral or positive or ceremonial, again, I encourage you to take 
a copy of our church's Confession of Faith and read chapter 19 
of the Law of God. It is a wonderful presentation 
of Reformed theology relative to God's law. But in Luke 24 
we read, Now on the first day of the week, very early in the 
morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb, 
bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found 
the stone rolled away from the tomb. Turn over to John 20. John 
chapter 20, verse 1, very similar. Now the first day of the week, 
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark 
and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Now 
drop down to verse 19. When does Jesus appear to his 
disciples? 2019, then the same day at evening, 
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where 
the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came 
and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be with you. So you have the disciples gathered 
together secretly for fear of the Jews, and Jesus comes to 
them on that first day of the week. Now, it's the disciples 
minus Thomas. The following week, Thomas is 
now with them. And notice the same day that 
Christ comes to them, verse 26. And after eight days, his disciples 
were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors 
being shut, and stood in the midst and said, peace to you. 
It's inclusive, so it means the first day of the week. We have 
the resurrection of Christ as that day upon which the church 
and the new covenant gathers together for worship. As the 
confession of faith says, which from the beginning of the world 
to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week. 
And from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first 
day of the week, which is called the Lord's day and is to be continued 
to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation 
of the last day of the week being abolished. So you have the ministry 
of Christ with reference to the law and his practice concerning 
the Sabbath. You have the resurrection of 
Christ, which is conspicuously on the first day of the week. 
Each of the gospel writers underscores that for us, and John does it 
twice. He does it when the disciples 
meet without Thomas. He does it again when the disciples 
meet with Thomas. But in both instances, the Church 
of Christ is gathered on the first day of the week. Now turn 
with me, thirdly, in terms of the actual structure of the sermon, 
to the teaching of the apostles. So turn to Hebrews chapter 4. 
I won't get into the reasons why I believe that Paul wrote 
Hebrews. I think if Paul wrote Hebrews, it doesn't prohibit 
what's called an amanuensis. Paul would use another person 
to actually put pen to paper, but the apostle Paul is responsible 
for the book of Hebrews. That's been debated in the context 
of the church. It ultimately doesn't matter. 
You're not going to go to hell if you don't accept Pauline authorship 
of Hebrews. And I hope you don't go to hell 
if you accept the Pauline authorship of Hebrews, because then I'm 
going to be there. But notice, we have first, in 
terms of the teaching of the apostles, the Sabbath that remains. Now, when it comes to Hebrews 
4, we're doing what's called biblical theology. Now, there 
is a text specifically in the context that tells us there is 
a Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God. Verse 9 is 
very conspicuous in that way. In fact, it's only the New King 
James, as far as I can tell, of the English translations, 
the modern ones, that doesn't use the theologically charged 
terminology of Sabbath rest. If you have the ESV, you have 
the NIV, you have the NASB, verse 9 tells us there is a Sabbath 
rest for the people of God. But in terms of the context, 
as I said, we need to do a bit of biblical theology. In the 
first place, the context is perseverance in the Christian faith. Perseverance 
in the Christian faith. If you go back to chapter 3, 
you'll see an exhortation, two exhortations to that end. Verse 
6, but Christ is Son over His own house, whose house we are 
if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope 
firm to the end. See, the book of Hebrews is charged 
with that particular doctrine. Persevere, overcome, endure, 
go forward, don't shrink back. If, as I suspect, it was written 
prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the specific admonition comes 
to Hebrew Christians and they are being told not to recant 
Christ and go back to the temple and go back to the sacrificial 
system. You need to endure and persevere. 
And then notice as well, verse 14, for we have become partakers 
of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to 
the end. And then you have this negative 
example portrayed in verses 16 to 19. For who, having heard, 
rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came 
out of Egypt led by Moses? Now with whom was he angry 40 
years? Was it not with those who sinned, 
whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that 
they would not enter his rest, but to those who did not obey? 
So we see then that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 
So that's the larger context for Hebrews chapter four. Persevere, 
endure, overcome. Now he gets into the specific 
application. Notice with reference to this 
emphasis on rest. 4.1. Therefore, since a promise 
remains of entering His rest, God's rest is the blessedness 
of the creature communing with the Creator. It is the blessedness 
of us entering in to the covenant promises of God Almighty. And 
as we move through this passage, we learn that Sabbath keeping 
was a great boon and a great help and a great encouragement 
for the people of God to persevere and to endure and to overcome. Notice the declaration concerning 
God's rest in verse 4. For He has spoken in a certain 
place of the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh 
day from all His works. So God's rest, again, is paradigmatic. It is a pattern for the creature 
in Genesis 2, 1 to 3. Now notice the emphasis in verses 
6 and 7. The reality that Canaan was typical 
of the rest for the people of God. So along the way in Israel's 
history, there were these not only weekly Sabbaths, but the 
land itself typified or foreshadowed or prefigured or looked forward 
to that consummate rest when the people of God enter in to 
the presence of God for all eternity. Notice according to verse 8, 
the rest promised by God was not fulfilled in the land of 
Canaan. Verse 8 says, for if Joshua had 
given them rest, then he would not afterward have spoken of 
another day. I think the argument of the apostle 
is simply this. The ultimate end for the people 
of God is to enter into God's rest. God's rest is most glorious. It is most excellent. We engage 
it now on the Sabbath day, but it's not fully entered into as 
to what it's going to be. And so there have been these 
things in history that have signified or typified that rest, but it 
hasn't exhausted the reality. And so in history, we have Canaan 
to keep us going. We have weekly Sabbath keeping 
to keep us going. Now notice what he does in verse 
9. He says, there remains therefore 
a rest, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Now, it is very 
intriguing what the apostle does here. Sometimes when you're reading 
passages of scripture, you'll see the use of synonymous words, 
but they're different. I mean, they're the same word 
in terms of meaning, but they're different from a literary point 
of view. In other words, you don't want to have this same 
repetition of the same word over and over again. But there are 
other times when a new word is used which has theological significance. So the word that has been used 
throughout up until verse 9 has been a general word for rest. Katapausen is the word. Now he 
uses a very theologically charged word, sabbatismos. Sabbath rest. It is used in the Greek translation 
of the Old Testament on a couple of places as a verbal form. The people of God Sabbath according 
to Exodus 1630. It's also used in a verbal form 
for the land. The land was given its Sabbath 
rest. So the author here now uses this 
theologically charged word, and what he says here is, there remains, 
therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Just like 
in the Old Covenant, they had the weekly Sabbath that helped 
spur them on in terms of perseverance and endurance, Just like in the 
Old Covenant they had Canaan as a type, as a prefigurement, 
as a helpful pointer to what would ultimately obtain in the 
eternal state, so in the New Covenant we have a Sabbath rest 
for the people of God. This is a passage that does exactly 
what many in our day say the Bible never does. They say things 
like, I can't understand how any student of the New Testament 
could find Sabbath-keeping in the New Testament. Well, the 
Apostle tells us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there remains, 
therefore, a Sabbatismus for the people of God. Certainly 
in terms of consummate glory, certainly in terms of eternal 
rest, But if in the Old Covenant that weekly Sabbath functioned 
to encourage the people of God, could it not be the case that 
in the New Covenant there is a weekly Sabbath that is calculated 
to encourage the people of God? I think that's precisely what 
the apostle is getting at in this place. The Sabbath rest 
typifies the eternal rest that is to come. G.K. Beale, a New 
Testament biblical theologian, he said, if the eschatological 
reality, eschatology just means doctrine of last things, the 
study of end times, the study of the eschaton, what happens 
when this life is over and we enter into the age to come. He 
says, if the eschatological reality of final Sabbath rest has not 
consummately come, then it is unlikely that the typological 
sign pointing to that ultimate rest has ceased. In other words, 
if one of the functions of Sabbath under Old Covenant was to spur, 
urge, and encourage the people of God to march on until the 
consummate rest, Since the consummate rest has not come, then it follows 
that the people of God in a new covenant situation still need 
that help. They still need that encouragement. 
They still need that boon. They need that blessing to aid 
them along the way. He goes on to say, that is, if 
the weekly Sabbath included the function of pointing forward 
to consummate rest, and that rest has not yet come, then that 
weekly Sabbath should continue. This is a man, I don't want to 
get into any sort of, what is it, an appeal to authority? I 
can't remember the Latin here. He's no piker. He's no amateur. I mean, G.K. Bill is a pretty 
accomplished father in Israel, and this is not some Judaizing 
of the New Testament or legalizing of the New Testament. And then 
A.W. Pink, who I'm sure many of you 
have heard of, his comment on 4.9 is very interesting. He says, 
here then is a plain, positive, unequivocal declaration by the 
Spirit of God. There remaineth therefore a Sabbath 
keeping. Nothing could be simpler, nothing 
less ambiguous. The striking thing, and this 
really needs to be pondered, Because one of the things that 
the book of Hebrews is doing is showing the superiority of 
Christ over angels, showing the superiority of Christ over Moses, 
showing the superiority of Christ over the Levitical priesthood. 
It's all about how Christ is so much better because he is 
the one they pointed forward to. So he says, the striking 
thing is that this statement occurs in the very epistle whose 
theme is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, written to those 
addressed as holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Therefore, 
it cannot be gainsaid that Hebrews 4.9 refers directly to the Christian 
Sabbath. Hence, we solemnly and emphatically 
declare that any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath 
takes direct issue with the New Testament scriptures. Now, when 
we ask the question, what is the day upon which the people 
of God observe that? Verse 10 provides the answer. Now, if you are using the New 
King James, you will notice that the New King James capitalizes 
references to deity. The personal pronouns are capitalized. in the new king, King James. 
So if you have he or him or you and it's a reference to deity, 
then it's capitalized. I don't think the English version's 
out there. I don't think NIV does that. I don't think NAS 
does that. Maybe old NAS did. I don't know if new. I'm looking 
at Shane. Does NAS capitalize pronouns? Okay. I'm not sure 
about the ESV. I don't think the ESV does. But 
they do that, I suspect, for reverence. We want to be reverent 
to the deity, so we'll capitalize that pronoun. Okay, but it's 
also an interpretative call. When you capitalize a reference, 
a personal pronoun, you are making an interpretative call that the 
pronoun represents deity. Now, in the New King James, at 
verse 10, you do not have capitalized pronouns. So verse 10 reads, 
for he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from 
his works as God did from his. The natural or typical interpretation 
is that refers to the believer. That refers to us. No, it refers 
to Jesus. And the twin themes picked up 
in Exodus and in Deuteronomy of creation and redemption obtained 
not only for the Father, but also for the Son. That's the 
theology of the change of the day in verse 10. In the first 
place, the comparison. It's Christ's works and rest 
to God's works and rest. not the believers' works and 
rest, compared to God's works and rest. Go back to verse 3. For we who have believed do enter 
that rest, as he has said. So I swore in my wrath they shall 
not enter my rest, although the works were finished from the 
foundation of the world. For he has spoken in a certain 
place of the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh 
day from all his works. So God at the cessation of the 
creation account, or rather the completion of it, ceases from 
his labors. It is complacency, it is approbation, 
it is approval. He looks upon what he has made 
and he rests. Jesus does that on the first 
day. Verse 10, for he, Christ, who 
has entered his rest, has himself also ceased from his works as 
God did from his. There's a change of pronoun, 
not just a capitalization of it, but throughout the context 
the plural form is used. Not now, there is a singular 
person. It is the one Christ who ceased 
from his works on the first day. He is the author, the inaugurator 
of new creation and of redemption in terms of all that God had 
promised. The first day of the week is 
the cessation of Christ's labors and the entrance into His rest. As well, the rest of verse 10 
is completed while the rest of verse 11 is not completed and 
is to be strived after. If verse 10 refers to the believer, 
then verse 11 doesn't make any sense. Why would it be the case 
that we have entered into the rest, verse 10, and then verse 
11? Let us therefore be diligent 
to enter that rest. It isn't us in verse 10, it's 
Jesus. By way of analogy, turn over 
to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, another passage 
that I think goes misunderstood. And Arminian sees upon it and 
tell us that this is how we can lose our salvation. But if you 
look at Hebrews chapter 10 at verse 29, the context is apostasy, 
a defection from God. Verse 29, of how much worse punishment 
do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the son 
of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which 
he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of grace? 
We look at that and we say, wait a minute, we have been sanctified, 
we've been included in this blood of the covenant, and we're considering 
this a common thing? The he there is Jesus. He was sanctified. He was set 
apart. He was the one that is disregarded 
by those engaged in apostasy. So beware of capitalization with 
reference to deity. Beware of red letters. Again, 
it's helpful, but if you put all of your interpretative marbles 
in that bag, sometimes you're going to be sorely vexed. You're 
going to end up with just the opposite meaning. I think there's 
another place in 2 Thessalonians 2. The new King James reflects 
dispensational translators, and they capitalize the he, and they 
try to buttress their idea that it's the spirit restraining. 
Again, the theology is then fit into the passage. That's not 
the goal of exegesis. We're supposed to unpack the 
meaning of scripture, and that informs our theology. We don't 
bring our theology to override our exegesis. We let our exegesis 
feed our theology. But back to chapter 4, we have 
this statement. He who has entered his rest has 
himself also ceased from his works as God did from his. So the theology of the passage 
indicates that there is an eternal rest ahead of us, but it's typified, 
it's prefigured still in this new covenant setting with a weekly 
Sabbath. In fact, verse 9, there remains 
therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Yes, consummate 
glory, but yes, weekly observance. What day are we supposed to do 
that on? Lo and behold, it's the first day of the week when 
our blessed Lord Jesus ceased from His labors, entered into 
the rest of His Father, and sets forth a paradigm based on creation 
and redemption that the church is to do likewise in terms of 
Sabbath keeping. The old theologian William Ames 
says, the reason for the change by the consent of all is the 
resurrection of Christ, which is itself a confirmation. On 
this day, the creation of a new world or of a world to come, 
wherein all things are made new, was completed. And Christ's rising 
from the dead ceased and rested from His greatest work. Just 
as in the beginning God rested from His work and blessed and 
hallowed the day wherein He rested, so also it is right that the 
very day wherein He rested, so also it is right that the very 
day wherein Christ rested from His labors should be hallowed. Now, I realize in the space of 
20 minutes or 15 minutes going through this, it can be a bit 
confusing, especially if you've never read Hebrews with this 
mindset. I'm not trying to confuse you 
since I can't convince you. If you're interested, email me. 
I will send you notes. I can give you some authors that 
have written in detail on this particular subject. It's not 
new. It's not novel. It wasn't recently 
hatched. And it is a biblical theological 
reading of the text of scripture that, again, the church needs 
to do more of because the Bible was written, in spite of the 
fact that there were 40 human authors, one author. Prior to 
the Enlightenment, the church accepted that. After the Enlightenment, 
the Bible has been dissected. The Bible has been torn apart. 
The Bible has been marginalized by scholarship trying to show 
some degree of ability with the sacred text. Yes, God used human 
authors, but the entirety from Genesis to Revelation is ascribed 
to God Most High. And there are biblical theological 
concepts throughout. The Old Testament refers to Old 
Testament. The New Testament refers to Old 
Testament. The New Testament refers to New 
Testament. These theologians that wrote 
Scripture were doing what's called intertextual exegesis. They're working with previous 
texts, capitalizing on them, making their arguments in light 
of that. The Bible is holistic. The Bible 
is a whole, and we ought to receive it as such. So we have the Sabbath 
that remains in Hebrews 4. Look secondly at the worship 
service at Troas. These next few will be quick. 
I know we've covered them, and we'll close. Acts chapter 20 
at verse 7. Well, verse six, we sailed away 
from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and in five 
days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days. Now again, I'm not a rocket scientist. I didn't make up the calendar, 
but I know this, that if you were there seven days, you were 
there on a Saturday. If you were there seven days, 
you were there on a Saturday, unless they were working with 
a different calendar, which they weren't, they were there during 
a Saturday. But then notice in verse seven, 
now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together 
to break bread, the breaking of bread there was most likely 
the Lord's supper. It probably wasn't just a common 
meal, though it could have been, and that doesn't invalidate the 
implication, but they come together on the first day of the week. 
And then Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and 
continued his message until midnight. So the people of God gather together, 
they break bread together, and then Paul preaches to them. We 
typically refer to that as a church worship service. F.F. Bruce says, the reference to 
the meeting for the breaking of bread on the first day of 
the week is the earliest text we have from which it may be 
inferred with reasonable certainty that Christians regularly came 
together for worship on that day. Now notice thirdly the collection 
in Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 16, 
the apostle orders. He doesn't suggest, he doesn't 
recommend, but he is giving authorized orders to the church. Notice 
in verse one, now concerning the collection for the saints, 
as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must 
do also. On the first day of the week, 
let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, 
that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, 
whomever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear 
your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go 
also, they will go with me." Now that's a bit ambiguous. It 
doesn't say they were having worship services and they had 
a box in the back and little envelopes and you put your money 
in there and you put it in the box. Sometimes the deacons would go 
and count that and then do whatever it is the deacons do with the 
money and all that. It doesn't say that, but it's 
conspicuous that on the first day of the week you lay aside 
the dough so that Paul can gather it and take it back to Judea 
to alleviate the suffering of the people of God in Jerusalem. 
And then notice fourthly, we got the Sabbath that remains, 
the worship service at Troas, the collection in Corinth. Fourthly, 
the vision at Patmos. Turn to Revelation 1. Revelation 
1. Verse 10, we'll look at verse 
9. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation 
and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. See, those things are 
consistent in the Christian life. It's not the case that we have 
one or the other. Very often we have all of them 
above. We have patience and we have 
tribulation and we still have kingdom. The presence of tribulation 
doesn't argue against the kingdom of God. In fact, the kingdom 
of God encompasses this world, which means we will have tribulation. But notice, he was on the island 
that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony 
of Jesus Christ. I was in the spirit on the Lord's 
day and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet. Now the form of the word that 
is used here, I've explained this recently but I'll rehearse 
it, it's only used one other time in the New Testament and 
that is found in 1 Corinthians 11 20. There it refers to the 
Lord's supper or the Lord's table. Here it refers to the Lord's 
day. It's where the word Kirk comes from. Kuriake in Greek 
means something possessed by the Lord, something owned by 
the Lord. Now God owns Monday through Saturday 
to be sure, but he specifically owns the Lord's day. He owns 
every bit of food you put in your mouth. Everything you eat 
comes from the hand of God. But the Lord's table or the Lord's 
supper according to 1 Corinthians 11 20 is set apart. It is something unique. It is 
something that the people of God treasure because it's the 
Lord's table or the Lord's supper and because it's the Lord's day. This is what John tells us. He 
is in the spirit on the Lord's day. Now, the use of the word 
in Revelation 1.10, it's not the eschatological day of the 
Lord, because John lives to fight another day. He's not only here 
writing, he's not only receiving these visions, but this is not 
consummate. He ends the book with, even so, 
come Lord Jesus. If it was the Lord's day in terms 
of eschatological reality, then the end of come Lord Jesus doesn't 
make sense. As well, it has the idea, or 
rather, it has the specific reality that it's the Lord's possession 
specifically that John is enjoying. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's 
day. One commentator on the book of 
Revelation makes this observation. He says, as the Lord's supper 
is for the remembrance of his death till he come again, so 
is this day for remembering the work of redemption and His resurrection 
till He come again. So, when you come to the New 
Testament, in conclusion, you don't find a particular passage, 
say in Romans 17, that says, Thou shalt worship on Sunday, 
which is now the Christian Sabbath, the Lord's day. But you see all 
of it, I hope, when it's laid out for you. And I think our 
confession of faith, again, in chapter 22, portrays a good biblical 
theological reading of scripture as it compiles data concerning 
the Christian Sabbath. It is binding, it is for us, 
not as a means of our salvation, but as a pattern of what pleases 
God, and as something that taps into the reality that there's 
something bigger, brighter, and better than this present world. Each time we gather together 
as the Lord's people on the Lord's day in the Lord's house, we know 
there's something beyond this. We're getting a taste of it, 
we're getting a glimpse of it, we're getting blessed, we're 
getting thrilled, we're getting encouraged to be sure, but hopefully 
we're all departing with this longing for more. And I think 
that's the emphasis in Hebrews chapter 4. The Father entered 
into His rest, the Son entered into that rest as well, at the 
cessation of their respective works. Old creation and redemption, 
new creation and redemption. The Lord gives to us this day 
in order to help us along in our march to that consummate 
rest and glory. And are we going to be the kinds 
of people that say, oh, no, I don't want to do that. Let me just 
go get my obligation out of the way so I can do what I really 
want. Now, I realize it doesn't come out that course for the 
most part. I realize it doesn't come out that sort of blatant 
for the most part. But there is antipathy to Sabbath 
keeping among the churches of Jesus Christ. Again, I've been 
accused of being a legalist, been accused of being a Judaizer, 
been accused of reading scripture in a way that nobody ever could 
see it. Well, brethren, the first day 
is distinguished by the apostolic ministry. The first day is distinguished 
by our Lord's resurrection. And that theology of Hebrews 
4, if it's not crystal clear now, ponder it, think through 
it. Consider it and realize that 
as the Father ceased from His works, so the Son ceased from 
His works. When we were in the Old Covenant, 
we rested on the day the Father ceased from His works. In the 
New Covenant, we rest on the day that the Son ceases from 
His works. Now, in conclusion, I just want 
to rehearse a bit of our confession because, again, it's not Scripture, 
it's not infallible, but it is a good summary statement of what 
the Scripture teaches. First, the Sabbath is consistent 
with natural law. Now, natural law is... We don't 
have time for that. But as the confession uses natural 
law, it sees Adam in the garden. Now, what Adam has in the garden 
is every bit as much as what Israel receives at Sinai. We know that because persons 
were punished, persons were sanctioned for violating the Ten Commandments 
prior to the giving of the Ten Commandments. So natural law 
sees Adam in the garden, coming from the hand of God, hardwired 
with the law of God in him. And our confession says, as it 
is the law of nature, that in a general proportion of time, 
by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God. 
The Sabbath, secondly, according to our confession, is revealed 
in the Word of God. So by His Word, just like by 
His Word we know not to murder people, just like by His Word 
we know not to engage in adultery, by His Word we know not to be 
idolaters, so by His Word we know that the rhythm of life 
concerns one day out of seven wherein man gathers in the presence 
of his God to worship and to glorify Him. The Confession highlights 
that Sabbath is positive law. Positive law in the hands of 
the Reformers and the Puritans meant something that was commanded 
for a specific time. In other words, the prohibition 
against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and 
evil. It's not wrong to eat fruit from trees. It was wrong under 
positive law to eat fruit from that particular tree. Positive 
law relative to Sabbath dictates the day upon which the church 
meets for worship, and that is conditioned by covenant. So, 
under the Old Covenant, it is Saturday Sabbath-keeping. Under 
the New Covenant, it is Sunday Sabbath-keeping. As well, the 
Confession highlights that there is, in fact, moral law. In the 
Confession of Faith, it says that it is therefore a perpetual 
commandment binding all men in all ages. So again, it's the 
hermeneutic or the principle of interpretation that you put 
in and determines what you get out. Reformed people have a particular 
hermeneutic, and as a result, we have all ten of the Ten Commandments. Dispensationalists and New Covenant 
theology has different operating assumptions. I'm not saying different 
in the sense that one group's hell-bound and the other's not. 
Brethren, this is an intramural debate, and we ought to exercise 
caution and charity and love and kindness. And in the absence 
of churches actually preaching Sabbath-keeping, we really ought 
to bear and forbear with the people of God in our generation. So, having that knowledge of 
charity, nevertheless, with reference to dispensationalism and New 
Covenant theology, their hermeneutic excludes Sabbath-keeping in the 
New Covenant. That's not so with the Reform. 
So again, it's not Judaizing, it's not legalizing, but rather 
it is to interpret the Bible in the way that God decreed it 
to. Just kidding. The way you're 
supposed to. That's a joke. Somebody out there 
is going to hear that and get triggered and cry. Oh, he called 
us non-Christians. He said, we don't know how to 
read the Bible. You don't at this point. But I'm just saying, 
what's the old proverb? When you're in a hole, stop digging. 
I'm going to keep digging and just really alienate everybody 
out there. So confessional statement in 
chapter 22 is very positive, very, very powerful. As well, 
we need to remember the qualifications. The Lord Jesus specifies that 
works of necessity and mercy are authorized. Sabbath-keeping 
does not earn one salvation. Sabbath-keeping is a reflection 
of, or an application of, the normative use of God's law. In 
other words, we have the civil or political use of God's law 
where it restrains preachers. We have the pedagogical or child 
tutor law or function of the law where it shows us our need 
for Christ. Once we, by grace, go to Christ, 
we're saved by Christ, Christ points us back to the law for 
the normative use, our normal use of the law. So just as we're 
not supposed to commit murder, so just as we're not supposed 
to commit adultery, we don't think, well, I didn't kill anybody 
today, so I've earned my place in heaven. That's not how it 
works, brethren. This is the reflex of those saved 
by grace through faith in Jesus. They want to do what the Father 
says, they want to obey the law, they have the Spirit to enable 
them to comply, and so they do not see the commandments of God, 
even the fourth commandment, as a burdensome thing or as something 
grievous. The believer must avoid the abuse 
of the legalist. I think some positive damage 
has been done to Sabbatarianism by legalism. Some Sabbatarians, 
I mean, the whole idea that you can't do this, you can't do that, 
you can't do this, you can't do that. Again, it sounds like 
the restrictions of federal government. We ought to look at it as, you 
get to do this, you get to do that, you get to cease from your 
earthly employments, and for one day gather with the people 
of God and the presence of God and the house of God to worship 
Him on the day of God. It is a good thing, not a bad 
thing, and we need to see it and treat it as such. But as 
well, the believer must avoid the abuse of antinomianism. There 
is antinomianism built into dispensationalism and built into New Covenant theology. 
I realize they don't want to hear that, and I realize they 
don't like to hear that, and I'm not suggesting it's practical 
antinomianism. Practical antinomianism would 
be, go ahead and commit murder, go ahead and commit adultery, 
go ahead and do whatever it is you want. But it is a doctrinal 
antinomianism that teaches that the law of God is no longer binding 
upon the people of God. That is not a good conclusion 
that one should take away from a deductive study of Holy Scripture. And then the believer must see, 
or hopefully will see, the blessing involved in Sabbath keeping. 
Turn to Isaiah 58, and we'll end on that high positive note. Isaiah 58, 13 to 14. I think 
this underscores what Gerhardus Voss has said. that the Sabbath 
has faithfully accompanied the people of God on their march 
through the ages. Isaiah 53, I'm sorry, 58, verse 
13. If you turn away your foot from 
the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and 
call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, 
and shall honor him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your 
own pleasure, nor speaking your own words. then you shall delight 
yourself in the Lord. And I will cause you to ride 
on the high hills of the earth and feed you with the heritage 
of Jacob, your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken." 
It's a most blessed and a wonderful thing. Again, not that we do 
in order for salvation, but that we do because we've been saved. It's a gift given to us by God 
for the encouragement and for the assistance of his people 
as they march to Zion. The way of salvation is to look 
in faith at the paradigm of Sabbath-keeping. The Lord Jesus Christ kept the 
law of God. The Lord Jesus died an accursed 
death, and the Lord Jesus Christ was risen the third day, such 
that whoever looks to Him in faith will have everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for your Word, and thank you for your graciousness in 
giving to man this gift of the Sabbath. You call us to rejoice, 
you call us to have that blessedness, you call us to engage our souls 
to you on the Lord's day. And what a privilege it is, and 
what a blessing it is, and I pray that we would see it as such, 
and that we with David would say, I was glad when they said 
unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. We ask that you 
would go with us now. We pray that you would watch 
over us in this coming week. Grant us grace and that peace 
that does surpass all understanding. And we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.