← Back to sermon library

Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 5. Deuteronomy chapter 5. I'll read verses 12 to 15, and 
then we'll take up our theme of the Christian Sabbath. So 
beginning in Deuteronomy chapter 5 at 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. 
Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word of the living 
and true God. We thank you that you have given it by inspiration. 
It is literally God-breathed, both testaments, and we rejoice 
in that. We pray that you would guide 
our thoughts now, instruct our minds and hearts, and grant us 
grace to comply with what the word of God says. We ask again 
for the forgiveness of all sin and anything that would darken 
our understanding, and just bless us now by the presence and the 
power of your Holy Spirit. And we pray these things in Jesus' 
name, amen. Well, we've been looking at the 
theme of the Christian Sabbath under the consideration that 
if the government tries to shut down the churches, the churches 
need to have a reason why they do what they do. There is a conspicuous 
call in the Bible for public worship. The fact that we are 
here is good. We're not to forsake the assembling 
of ourselves together. The God of heaven and earth has 
called for us to worship Him together. As well, He has set 
apart a day. So the God of heaven and earth 
has set apart a day for the people of God to meet in the house of 
God that they may worship. Now for most of us, we've been 
brought up perhaps in a reformed setting. and we've not questioned 
the teaching of the Bible concerning the Sabbath. We may struggle 
in terms of obedience, we may struggle in terms of application, 
we may struggle with a whole lot of things along the way, 
but the fact is, is that the fourth commandment, with the 
other nine commandments, are binding upon us for today. And 
with reference to those who have not been brought up in a Reformed 
context, where some of this stuff may seem new, it is my conviction 
that every church should have a robust understanding of what 
Scripture says concerning the Day of God, upon which the Church 
of God is to meet in the house of God for the public worship 
of God. And to that end, we've looked 
at the exposition of this commandment, and then we looked at the Sabbath 
and the Old Covenant. Essentially, we have the paradigm 
or the pattern of God's Sabbathing in Genesis chapter 2. As well, 
we see in Genesis chapter 4, prior to Sinai, that Cain and 
Abel came at the end of days, the end of the days of the week, 
to bring offerings to present to Yahweh. They learned about 
the presentation of offering from their father Adam. They 
also learned the day upon which they were supposed to do this, 
because Adam watched God and Adam followed God in terms of 
this idea of Sabbath. You see in Exodus chapter 16, 
prior to Sinai, there is a Sabbath for the people of God. They were 
to collect a double portion of bread on the sixth day, so as 
not to violate the command on the seventh day. You see, of 
course, the giving of the law at Sinai in Exodus 20. And the 
rationale behind the commandment there is creation. For in six 
days the Lord your God created, and the seventh day He rested. 
You see the giving of the law here in Deuteronomy, on the plains 
of Moab, prior to the entrance into the Promised Land. And the 
rationale, it's not different, but it's similar in nature. There's 
reasons why Sabbath is to be done. And in Exodus, its creation 
here in Deuteronomy, it is redemption. We saw as well the prophet's 
response to Sabbath-keeping in the New Covenant. Isaiah 56, 
Isaiah 58, there's a blessing attached with reference to Sabbath-keeping 
in the Messianic Age. You see the Jeremiah 31, 31 to 
34, prophecy concerning the New Covenant. And God says through the prophet 
that he would write his law upon the hearts of his people. So 
then we get to the new covenant. We see our Lord's response to 
the law is very similar. Matthew 5, 17 to 20. Do not even 
begin to think that I've come to abrogate or to disregard or 
abolish the law, Jesus says. I've come to fulfill it. He sets 
forth his hermeneutic concerning the law and the prophets, and 
then he teaches consistently with that. We then see that it's 
the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on that first day 
of the week that each of the gospel writers point out in detail 
to indicate that is the day upon which the church meets for worship. Hebrews 4 provides the theological 
rationale. There remains, according to verse 
9, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Verse 10 answers the 
question, when that Sabbath rest in the New Covenant is to obtain. 
It's the day wherein our Lord entered into His rest. Parallel 
with the Father who created and then rested, we have the Son 
who new creates and then rests. And it's on that day that the 
people of God enter in for worship. We saw the worship service at 
Troas in Acts 20, verse 7. They were there for an entire 
week, including Saturday, but the church meets together on 
the first day. 1 Corinthians 16, not only the church at Corinth, 
but the churches at Galatia were told by Paul to set apart money 
for collection on the first day of the week. And then we see 
John in the Spirit on the island of Patmos on the Lord's Day, 
according to Revelation chapter 1 and verse 10. So that is a 
biblical theology of the Sabbath. You begin in Genesis, you run 
to the end of the book of Revelation, and you see what Scripture says 
concerning Sabbath-keeping. Now, along the way, in the New 
Covenant, there are some anti-sabbatarian texts. Actually, I will call 
them alleged anti-sabbatarian texts. There are passages in 
the New Testament that some suppose is the Apostle Paul disregarding 
the abiding validity of the Fourth Commandment. Perhaps you've always 
just assumed that that was what was being spoken to. And I think 
it's pretty common against Sabbatarianism to use these three texts to try 
to make the case that what we're doing is legalistic, or what 
we are doing is Judaizing. Or what we are doing is to go 
backward in redemptive history. I tried to share with you the 
argument is simple. God gave ten commandments. He 
hasn't rendered any of them null and void. He hasn't invalidated 
any one of them. The Sabbath commandment has a 
moral obligation attached. One day out of seven, the creature 
comes into the presence of his creator and he worships. There 
were ceremonial aspects attached to the fourth commandment as 
well, but those are fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ, so 
the day change is something we would expect in terms of covenant. And so that's the basic argument. 
So I want to look now at the three passages that are alleged 
anti-sabbatarian texts in the New Testament. The first is in 
Romans 14, the second is Galatians 4, and then the third is Colossians 
2. So you can turn to Romans chapter 
14. Always good to know what the 
context is when we interpret texts. In other words, when we 
do exegesis, we not only want to uncover the meaning of a specific 
passage, but in order to successfully do that, we must understand it 
in its context. Specifically, what Paul is dealing 
with in Romans 14 is matters concerning Christian liberty. 
And Christian liberty is simply those things that the Bible doesn't 
necessarily address. There are things that God hasn't 
ruled on. In other words, God's not like 
the federal government. He doesn't give us a billion 
laws. Rather, he gives us 10 commandments, 
and then he gives us examples on how to apply those things, 
but he doesn't micromanage every jot and detail of our lives. 
Our Father is very gracious that way, and we ought to appreciate 
that. G.K. Chesterton made the observation, 
if men will not be ruled by the Ten Commandments, they'll be 
ruled by 10,000 commandments. When you choose an alternate 
lawgiver, you're going to get the federal government. You're 
going to get micromanagement. You're going to get cradle-to-grave 
authority over your life. God's not like that. There are 
matters in the Christian life that aren't directly addressed 
by God. If something isn't identified as a sin, then we're not supposed 
to call it a sin. I realize that's tough for us 
because we all want to put ourselves in the posture of a lawgiver. 
We want everybody to follow the rules of the laws that we think 
are acceptable. Well, no. With reference to the 
church, there are matters of liberty. There are issues that 
we are free to do or not do without any condemnation from God Most 
High. And Romans 14 is that specifically. The apostle wants harmony in 
the churches over things indifferent or over matters of liberty. And 
then the specific issues in view. Notice the eating of meats in 
verses 2 and 3. For one believes he may eat all 
things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him 
who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who 
does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him. So 
you've got this eating of meats, which is likely a reference to 
Jewish food laws. And then in verses five and six, 
you have the observation of specific days, which likely reflects a 
commitment to Israel's calendar. But with reference to the context, 
it's not the Sabbath command. It's not the weekly Lord's Day 
observance, but it is rather the feast days of Israel. It 
is rather those things that were still okay in terms of cultural 
or ethnic appreciation. Even something like circumcision. 
Paul condemns circumcision if we do it in order to gain our 
acceptance with God. But in terms of circumcision 
as an indifferent matter, as a cultural practice, as something 
that is ethnic, he had Timothy circumcised when he went into 
a Jewish region. Timothy's father was a Gentile. 
Timothy had not been circumcised. So Paul orders that he become 
circumcised so that he's not an offense to the Jews in that 
missionary journey. So there are things that as long 
as we don't attach or append religious significance to, we're 
free to do. And in this instance, whether 
you had this day or not, wasn't the issue. It was your attitude 
in terms of judging somebody who saw things differently. You 
had the weaker brethren who thought that they must abstain from meats. 
You had the stronger brethren who thought that it was okay 
to eat the meats. With reference to the meats themselves, 
that's not the issue. The problem is that the weaker 
brother has the tendency to judge the stronger brother. And the 
stronger brother has the tendency to disregard the weaker brother 
and sort of parade his liberties over him. This has nothing to 
do with the day of God, ordained by the God of the day for the 
worship of God. It's not a fourth commandment 
issue. It is rather Israel's calendar. Now, Israel's calendar 
is going to come up a few times in this study, and I want to 
make this observation. The fourth day of creation is 
explained in lengthier detail than all the other days. And 
one of the reasons for these light-bearing sources is for 
signs and for seasons. Calendar reigns supreme in the 
life of Israel. And part of the sun and the moon 
and the stars was to point to those things or to highlight 
those things. So there was this emphasis in 
Israel upon their calendar, which lay behind each of the texts 
that we're going to look at. And we need to comprehend that. 
One commentator, Wenham, says, the creation of the sun, moon, 
and stars is described in much greater length than anything 
save the creation of man. He goes on, what is clear is 
the importance attached to the heavenly body's role in determining 
the seasons, in particular fixing the days of cultic celebration. 
This is their chief function. So when there's these debates 
concerning the calendar that Paul has to deal with, you hopefully 
understand why. Because Israel as a people had 
much owing to the calendar. There were feasts, there were 
new moons, there were occasional Sabbaths, there were a whole 
host of days where the children of Israel were to gather together 
and worship God. So now Christ comes, Messiah 
comes, people believe on Him, there is transition from Old 
Covenant to New Covenant, but some of those things still extend. 
The people that were committed to Christ, that were from the 
Jewish nation, still thought in terms of the calendar. And 
they perhaps thought, we need to do this, and everybody else 
needs to do it as well. So it's not the calendar, it's 
not circumcision, it's not the meats, it's the attitude of the 
believer that goes into this. If you are a stronger brother, 
don't make fun of or ridicule the weaker brother. If you're 
a weaker brother, don't judge the stronger brother. And Paul 
gives the rationale in verse four. Notice he says, excuse 
me, who are you to judge another servant? To his own master he 
stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand 
for God is able to make him stand. In other words, whatever you 
do, weak brother, strong brother, you better be able to give an 
answer to the Lord. And we as a weak brother or a 
strong brother that disagrees with them need to appreciate 
they're ready to stand before the Lord. They don't ultimately 
have to answer to me. They don't ultimately have to 
give an account for their conduct and things indifferent to me, 
to any ecclesiastical body, or certainly to no civil government. Rather, they stand before God 
Almighty. Notice in verses 5 and 6, he 
highlights the observance of days. One person esteems one 
day above another. Another esteems every day alike. 
Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes 
the day, observes it to the Lord. And he who does not observe the 
day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats 
to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. And he who does not eat 
to the Lord, he does not eat and gives God thanks. The apostles' concern is that 
observers of these days do not bind the consciences of those 
who do not. That's the context, Christian 
liberty. It is not the suspension of the 
fourth commandment. It is not a disregard for the 
day of God ordained by God for the church of God to worship 
God. That is a complete stretch when 
it comes to this passage. He's dealing with harmony in 
the context of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is 
not dealing with the disregard of the fourth commandment from 
the Bible. William Ames says, the Apostle 
in Romans 14 expressly speaks of the judgment about certain 
days which then produced offense among Christians. But the observance 
of the Lord's Day, which the Apostle himself teaches, had 
already taken place in all the churches, 1 Corinthians 16, and 
could not be the occasion of offense. It is most probable 
that the apostle in this passage is treating of a dispute about 
the choosing of days to eat or to refuse certain meats. For 
the question is put in Romans 14, 2 about meats, and in verses 
5 and 6, the related problem of duty is discussed. And in 
the remainder of the chapter, he considers only meats, making 
no mention of days. What he is saying is that the 
point is not, are we supposed to be regulated by the Jewish 
calendar? The point is, is that if ethnically 
or culturally we still imbibe those particular practices, we're 
not to hold this out as an obligation for others who see things differently. The argument is one concerning 
liberty and harmony in the context of the churches and not the disregard 
of the perpetual Sabbath for the people of God. In the next 
place, turn to Galatians 4. Galatians chapter 4. Now, the 
very context, not only of the chapter, but of the book is absolutely 
crucial. Look at Galatians chapter 1 for 
a moment. Galatians 1, beginning in verse 
6. Paul says, I marvel that you 
are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace 
of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there 
are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of 
Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any 
other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let 
him be accursed. As we have said before, so now 
I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you, then 
what you have received, let him be a curse." Now, Paul was a 
long-suffering man. Paul was a very patient man. Paul was a very gracious man. In fact, if you compare 1 and 
2 Corinthians to Galatians, you'll see a bit of a different approach. 
For the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, he spends 
a lot longer time basically praising God for the Corinthians. He is 
praising the Corinthians for their activity on behalf of Jesus 
Christ. Now, if you know anything about 
Corinth, you'll know there was a lot of mess and the apostle 
had to deal with a lot of stuff in that particular letter. But 
it was a mess that concerned what we call sanctification. 
In other words, it was a mess that all of us as Christians 
mess up our lives with. We always need to be corrected 
when it comes to sanctification. And Paul chides them, Paul rebukes 
them, Paul reproves them, but at the same time, Paul doesn't 
disenfranchise them. Not so with Galatians. With Galatians, 
he says that I marvel that there are actually persons that are 
making a way upon you. The issue with Galatians isn't 
sanctification and living the Christian life. It is justification. It is acceptance with God. It 
is the reality. How does God, who is holy, holy, 
holy, accept guilty, vile sinners? Well, the Bible everywhere answers, 
they're justified freely by God's grace through faith in Christ. 
So that's the issue that's obtained here in the churches of Galatia. 
Now notice in Galatians chapter 4. We have specifically at verses 
8 to 10. But then indeed, when you did 
not know God, you served those which by nature are not God's. 
But now after you have known God or rather are known by God, 
isn't that a beautiful way to say that? After you have known 
God or rather are known by God, we know Him, we love Him because 
He first knew us and loved us. He goes on to say, but now after 
you have known God or rather are known by God, how is it that 
you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you 
desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and 
seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have 
labored for you in vain. The point in 4.8-10 is that we 
cannot look to the observance of these days to try to help 
in the matter of justification. So when Paul goes to these churches 
in Galatia on his first missionary journey, he preaches a law-free 
gospel. And by law-free gospel, I simply 
mean this. He tells sinners, guilty, vile, 
helpless sinners, to look unto Jesus, to believe on Him, and 
they will be saved. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing 
that each of us who is saved is hanging our souls upon, the 
reality that we're justified by faith alone. But these people 
called Judaizers had come in on the heels of the Apostle Paul, 
and they had said, it's good to believe on Jesus as the Messiah. He is the Messiah. He is the 
one promised in the Old Testament. The law and the prophets pointed 
forward to him, and here he has come. But... In addition to faith 
in Jesus Christ, you also need to be circumcised. In addition 
to faith in Jesus Christ, you also need to become like Jews. 
Remember, the Galatians, for the most part, were Gentiles. 
So these Judaizers came along and said, faith in Christ plus 
the ceremonies of Moses in order to be saved. And I think that's 
something that we need to get into our minds. There aren't 
a lot of religious systems that teach justification by works. alone. We oftentimes think that 
Roman Catholicism is that way. They're not. They mingle faith 
in Christ plus attachment to the Church of Rome. Faith in 
Christ plus obedience to the sacraments. Faith in Christ plus 
your faithfulness in the life of sanctification. That is Judaizing. That is mingling faith plus works 
in order for salvation. And in this Galatian church situation, 
perhaps the Judaizers said, it's not only circumcision, but it's 
all these feast days. It's Israel's calendar. If you 
want to be a real Christian, if you want to be a really saved 
person, you not only need faith in Christ, but you need circumcision 
and you need the calendar. Those two additional C's will 
supplement your relation to Christ, and then God will accept you. 
That's the problem that Paul is dealing with in Galatians. Notice what he says in verse 
21. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not 
hear the law? What he means by that is under 
the law in terms of your acceptance with God. As believers in Christ 
justified freely by grace, there is a sense we're under the law 
as a pattern for our sanctification, as the definition of what God 
is and who God is and what is pleasing to Him. But we're not 
under the law as a covenant of works in order to try to earn 
our favor with God. In other words, we're not the 
Israelites in Exodus 24 saying, all that the Lord has said, we 
will do it. And that's why we're included 
in the new covenant. That's not it at all. We're under 
grace in the sense that God has made provision. God has accepted 
us freely in his beloved son. To see the connection with circumcision, 
look at chapter 5. Chapter 5. Again, it isn't the 
Sabbath day in terms of the one day out of the seven that the 
people of God get together for worship. It is rather thinking 
that law-keeping along with faith in Jesus is what ultimately endears 
us to God. Notice in 5.1, stand fast therefore 
in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be 
entangled again with a yoke of bondage. In other words, don't 
go backward in redemptive history. Don't pick up circumcision and 
the calendar as the means by which God will receive you. Verse 
2, Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, 
Christ will profit you nothing. Again, he cannot be talking in 
terms of culture or ethnicity. He had Timothy circumcised. He did that. Well, I don't know 
if he actually did this, but he had somebody do this so that 
Timothy would be a circumcised man. When they went into the 
regions of the Jews, he would not be an offense. So we cannot 
mean that in terms of a cultural or ethnic practice, but it is 
in terms of religious significance and acceptance with God issue. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that 
if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And 
I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that 
he is a debtor to keep the whole law." You have to think through 
this, brethren. If somebody gets circumcised 
as a cultural or ethnic thing, that's not the situation that 
Paul is writing about. He's writing about the choice 
to approach God for approval via the law. If that is our mindset, this 
is then the reality. I testify again to every man 
who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole 
law. So you see what he's saying? There's one of two ways to get 
to God, if you will. There's the way of grace through 
faith in Christ, which is most blessed and most wonderful, or 
there is the way of the law. And that is you doing what God 
tells you to do perpetually, exactly, entirely, and personally. In other words, if you don't 
fulfill the law of God at every jot and tittle, you're going 
to end up cut off and you're going to end up in hell. That's 
why the good choice, the right decision, is to look unto the 
Lord Jesus Christ for full, free acceptance by our God. So the 
issue is not the Lord's Day and the people of God gathering together. 
It is the choice of calendar observance in order to gain acceptance 
with God. Then notice what he says in verse 
4. He says, you have become estranged 
from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law. That's 
the problem in Galatia. And brethren, I would say that 
if somebody is able to recite Second London Confession in terms 
of the Sabbath, the Christian Sabbath, if they're able to go 
to Genesis 2, they're able to go to Genesis 4, they're able 
to go to Exodus 16, they're able to go to Exodus 20, they're able 
to go to Isaiah 56 and 58, They're able to go to Jeremiah 31. They're 
able to go to Matthew 5, Matthew 12. They're able to go to all 
those first-day observances, and yet they understand that 
and think that by their keeping of it, they will gain acceptance 
with God? That is as wrongheaded as these 
Galatians who opted for the calendar and circumcision to gain acceptance 
with God. Someone might have a right approach 
to the Christian Sabbath, but if that person is using the right 
approach to the Christian Sabbath as a means of justification, 
that is an unlawful use of the law, and that needs to be condemned 
as well. It would be at this point that 
if we were in a church in Southern California, I'd say, can I get 
an amen? Because you need to understand that's what's happening 
in Galatia. He's not saying there's no more 
fourth commandment. It's not what's happening in 
Romans 14. It's not saying there's no more fourth commandment. He 
is rather dealing, in the one instance, with issues concerning 
liberty, and in this situation, with issues concerning justification. You could adopt the best law 
code, you can understand the Ten Commandments, but if you 
misuse that law as a means of acceptance with God, that is 
as condemnable as is the Galatians looking to circumcision and the 
calendar. And it's in this context that 
we need to appreciate what he goes on to say. Verse 4, you 
have become estranged from Christ who attempt to be justified by 
law. You have fallen from grace. That's not an Arminian proof 
text that somebody can actually be saved and fall from grace. He's talking about law as approach 
to God and grace as an approach to God. If you try to mingle 
the two, you've fallen from grace. If you opt for only law, you 
have fallen from grace. It's not a proof text that believers, 
genuine believers, can lose their salvation. He's dealing in covenant 
categories. The old covenant is about law. 
It's a covenant of works. All these things we shall do. 
And the new covenant is a gracious response. The new covenant, brethren, 
is actually a covenant of works as well. And the beauty of it 
is that it's a covenant of works kept for us by the Lord Jesus 
Christ, the covenant head. That's the beauty, that's the 
significant blessing that we have in this new covenant situation. And then verse five, for we through 
the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith, 
for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision 
avails anything but faith working through love. He repeats that 
in verse 15 in chapter 6. Notice, for in Christ Jesus neither 
circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a new creation. Ames again says, in the Galatians 
passage, the discussion relates only to the observance of days, 
months, and years as an aspect of bondage to weak and beggarly 
elements. But it was far from the apostles' 
mind and altogether strange to Christian faith to consider any 
commandment of the Decalogue or any ordinance of Christ in 
such a vein. In fact, you turn up the heat 
in our studies in the book of Acts. Paul actually took vows. Paul actually responded to the 
Jewish calendar. He not only had Timothy circumcised, 
but he himself did what James bid him to do in order to facilitate 
harmony amongst Jews and Gentiles in that transition phase. But 
he never did it with a view to gain his acceptance with God. 
So a big difference between, oh, there's no more fourth commandment 
and what Paul is actually dealing with in Galatians chapter four. And let's look thirdly and finally 
at Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter two, that's 
an interesting situation. In Colossae, they were plagued 
with people that had a whole bunch of strange ideas. And basically 
what there was was a mixture of or a mingling of angels, Judaism, 
and Christ. Again, it's not typically the 
case that they say, oh, get rid of Christ altogether. Rome does 
not do that. None of the pseudo-Christian 
cults do that. It's always Jesus plus. See, 
that's as heretical as no Jesus. Jesus plus is as heretical as 
no Jesus at all. We think that that's somehow 
a bit better, but Paul condemns with anathema a Jesus plus approach 
in the churches of Galatia. So in Colossians chapter two, 
we have, the opponents of Christ and the opponents of Christ's 
Church attempting to cheat the Colossians and to judge them. Notice in Colossians 2.8, Beware 
lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, 
according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles 
of the world, and not according to Christ. And then notice in 
verse 16, so let no one judge you in food or in drink. Again, 
probably not beer and pizza, most likely those things that 
made their way into Israel's diet and made their way onto 
Israel's calendar. That's the issue that the apostle 
is dealing with. And the Colossian heresy mingled 
not only Christ with Judaism, but through an angels for an 
extra dose of holiness. As well, the apostle warns them 
not to let that happen, and then he gives concrete expression 
to how it may happen. In the first place, there's an 
emphasis on mystical legalism. Notice in 2.16-19. So let no 
one judge you in food or in drink or regarding a festival or a 
new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but 
the substances of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your 
reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, 
intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed 
up by his fleshly mind and not holding fast to the head from 
whom all the body nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments 
grows with the increase that is from God. So be on guard against 
this sort of mystical legalism. The legalism is seen there in 
the commitment to Israel's calendar. But the mystical is seen there 
in the angels and in that sort of ethereal place. And we want 
to bring that down here and govern you with that sort of a mindset. 
And if you're not like that, then you're bad. Don't let them 
do that. Don't let them judge you concerning 
these particular things. And then the next violation is 
found in verses 20 to 23. And this refers to asceticism. And asceticism is simply the 
principle that teaches, stay away from certain things, don't 
eat certain things, don't drink certain things, and everything 
will be hunky-dory. Everything will be absolutely 
okay. This is what drove the monks to go live on poles out 
in the wilderness. This is what drove the monks 
to go live out in caves. The thought is, is that if I 
withdraw myself from all these worldly temptations, then I'll 
be godly and holy. Well, we all know how well that 
works out. We could be, as I've said before, 
limbless people on a desert island and sin 24-7 against God Most 
High. We have hearts that are messed 
up. And so it's not simply removing 
ourselves from those things which defile. No, there are obviously 
things that we should remove ourselves from. Arsenic, hemlock, 
certain things we shouldn't ingest because they'll end our lives. 
But the ascetics taught that if you just separate yourself 
well enough, then everything will be okay. So look at verse 
20. Therefore, if you died with Christ 
from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living 
in the world, do you subject yourself to regulations? Do not 
touch, do not taste, do not handle, which all concern things which 
perish with the using according to the commandments and doctrines 
of men. In other words, that's not what commends us to God. 
Our acceptance with God is not based on what we don't eat and 
what we don't touch and where we don't go. Our acceptance with 
God is fully grounded upon the finished work of the Savior. 
Notice what he says in verse 23. These things indeed have 
an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility and 
neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence 
of the flesh. Perhaps you've read Puritans 
or the Reformers and you've seen that emphasis on will-worship. And what they mean by will-worship 
is what is codified in our confession in terms of our approach to God. 
With reference to the acceptable way of worshiping the true God, 
it is instituted by Himself and so limited by His own revealed 
will that He may not be worshipped according to the imagination 
and devices of men. Men always want to take the role 
of lawgiver. Men always want to take the role 
of healer. Men always want to take the role 
of rescuer. And men always want to ruin your 
life if you give them the opportunity to do so. God is gracious. God is good. God has provided 
a way of acceptance with Himself that is not according to the 
imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan 
under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed 
in the Holy Scriptures. So let's go back now, having 
considered the context and considered the actual point of the argument. 
See how that frees you up in exegesis? Romans 14 isn't about 
the dissolution of the Sabbath. It's about harmony in the Church. 
Galatians chapter 4 isn't about the dissolution of the Sabbath. 
It's about don't try to use law to try and get to God. And Colossians 
2, it isn't about the dissolution of the Sabbath. It is rather, 
don't be hoodwinked by these people who teach you that commitment 
to Israel's calendar, along with the worship of angels, is somehow 
going to endear you to our thrice holy God. But look at verse 16 
for a moment. It is intriguing, and it does 
seem to be a proof text against Sabbath-keeping. So let no one 
judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a 
new moon or Sabbaths. So Paul is shaking his finger 
at you Reformed people, and he is telling you, with all of your 
confessions that summarize the biblical theology of the Sabbath, 
you guard against judging others that do not see regard for the 
Lord's Day in a manner that you do. Well, brethren, he's not 
talking about the Lord's Day. He's not talking about the weekly 
Sabbath. Again, he is talking about Israel's 
calendar. These three terms are used several 
times in the Old Testament, and I think it would do us well to 
reflect on those. Turn back first to 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles, to see these three 
terms utilized in conjunction one with another, so that what's 
going on in terms of Paul's address to the Colossians, he is not 
disregarding or dissolving weekly Sabbath keeping on the part of 
the justified people of God, where they meet with the God 
of heaven and earth publicly in his house to worship him. 
Rather, it is Israel's calendar that is no longer binding on 
the New Covenant Church. So, 1 Chronicles 23. 1 Chronicles 23, verse 31. And at every presentation of 
a burnt offering to the Lord on the Sabbaths. Notice it's 
pluralized. Leviticus 23 highlights there 
were occasional Sabbaths as well. While there is the one perpetual 
Sabbath that has both moral and positive sort of aspects to it, 
in terms of other Sabbaths there were occasional ones, ones that 
didn't even fall on Saturday, and typically, I'm not sure always, 
I don't want to go out on that branch at this point, but it's 
typically pluralized. Notice in verse 31, at every 
presentation of a burnt offering to the Lord on the Sabbaths, 
and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number according 
to the ordinance governing them regularly before the Lord. Turn 
to 2 Chronicles chapter 2. 2 Chronicles chapter 2. Preparation of building the temple. 
Verse three, Solomon sent to Hiram, king of Tyre, saying, 
as you have dealt with David, my father, and sent him cedars 
to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. Behold, 
I am building a temple for the name of the Lord, my God, to 
dedicate it to him, to burn before him sweet incense, for the continual 
showbread, for the burnt offerings, morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, 
on the new moons, and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. 
This is an ordinance forever to Israel. Turn over to 2 Chronicles 
31. The king also appointed a portion 
of his possessions for the burnt offerings, for the morning and 
evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths 
and the new moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the 
law of the Lord. Turn over to Ezekiel 45. Ezekiel 
45. Again, just to show you, these 
three terms are not used in a vacuum by Paul in Colossians 2. They 
represent Israel's calendar. He's telling the Colossians, 
don't let anybody bind your conscience with reference to the new moon, 
with reference to these occasional Sabbaths, with reference to these 
feast days. 4517, you see the same three terms 
held in close contact. Then it shall be the prince's 
part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings 
at the feasts, the new moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the 
appointed seasons of the house of Israel. And then one final 
text is in the minor prophet Hosea. While you're turning there, 
I'll remind you, the minor prophets are not minor in importance, 
they are just shorter writings. It's not that the major prophets 
were more important. You've got to listen to Isaiah 
more than Hosea. No, it's just that their writings 
aren't as long. But notice in Hosea too. Now, 
I should tell you that Hosea lived at the same time as Isaiah. 
And so the pro-Sabbath in the new covenant that Isaiah speaks 
of in Isaiah 56 and 58 is not something that would be lost 
on Hosea. It's not something that would be absent to Hosea. 
But in terms of these three things that represent Israel's calendar, 
look at what Hosea 2.11 says. I will also cause all her mirth 
to cease, her feast days, her new moons, her Sabbaths, all 
her appointed feasts. The abrogation of these three, 
contra the weekly Sabbath, grounded in the fourth commandment of 
God, patterned after the example that God sets, and that is everywhere 
held up in the Bible. Romans 14, Galatians 4, and Colossians 
2 are not anti-sabbatarian texts. To say that they are is to misrepresent 
the mind of the apostle and the mind of the Holy Spirit himself. The Colossian heresy mingled 
angels, Judaism, and Christ, and Paul rejects such mingling. Again, William Ames says in Colossians 
2, the Sabbaths mentioned are specially and expressly described 
as new moons and ceremonial shadows of things to come in Christ. 
But the Sabbath commanded in the Decalogue and our Lord's 
day are of another nature entirely. And then a man by the name of 
Gilfillan, he says, while moreover his words discard the days of 
Judaism, they touch not the authority of the ancient statute of paradise. 
and in undermining ceremonial rights, leave unshaken the moral 
foundation on which rests the prescription, remember the Sabbath 
day to keep it holy." I am certainly open to listening to an anti-Sabbatarian 
rant, but it has to be exegetically responsible. It has to be biblically, 
theologically responsible. You don't just cherry-pick a 
few texts that mention days in the New Testament and come out 
an antinomian. That's not responsible, brethren. That is not the way to do Bible 
study or interpretation. What we have, rather, is this 
existing command, along with nine others, that demands our 
attention. Not in an unlawful way. Hey, 
I'm going to keep the Sabbath in order that I might be saved. 
But in a lawful way. I've been saved by grace through 
faith. God's given me this blessed gift. 
A day upon which I can rest. I get to sanctify it. I get to 
keep it holy. And I get to enjoy the great 
things of God. That is a completely different 
approach. And one that I hope our Sabbath 
keeping will represent and will demonstrate in terms of those 
watching us. Call the Sabbath a delight. That is the emphasis that we 
find from Genesis to Revelation. The Colossian heresy attempted 
to shift the focus off of Christ back to the shadow of things 
to come. Again, the shadow of things to 
come was perfect in the old covenant. Prior to the coming of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, those ceremonies pointed the people of God to 
consider Messiah. But now that Messiah is here, 
we don't go back to that. We don't retreat from the substance 
to the shadow. Our confession of faith treats 
the ceremonial law this way. It says, besides this law, commonly 
called moral, the Ten Commandments, God was pleased to give to the 
people of Israel ceremonial laws containing several typical ordinances. partly of worship, prefiguring 
Christ, His graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits, and 
partly holding Fort Diver's instructions of moral duties, all which ceremonial 
laws, being appointed only to the time of Reformation, are 
by Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and only Lawgiver, who was furnished 
with power from the Father, for that end, abrogated and taken 
away. So when Jesus says, do not think 
that I came to abolish the law, he's talking about the moral 
law. He fulfills the ceremonial law. Those things prefiguring 
his coming, now that he has come, they're no longer necessary. 
We don't need the picture when we're standing with the grandkid. 
We don't need the ceremony in Moses' tabernacle when we have 
a Messiah with us. This is the backward movement 
in redemptive history that an appeal to the Jewish calendar 
reflected with reference to these Colossians and then as well with 
reference to the Galatians. I hope everybody got that. We're 
gonna end now with just a few thoughts and a lot of material. I realized that if anybody is 
interested and they want notes, tell me, I can send you the notes. 
Not that the notes are great, but they've got quotes and those 
sorts of things. And hopefully you can kind of follow along. 
And then there's books to be sure written on the subject. 
I recommended one to a brother recently. Probably the most helpful 
introduction to a reform view of the Lord's day is by a man 
named Joseph Piper. Not John Piper, but Joseph Piper, 
P-I-P-E-R. It's very readable, very accessible. It's a popular treatment, but 
it's very, very good. And if this has at least pricked 
your conscience or has at least enticed you to want to study 
further, that would be a good place. And then, of course, you 
can move on to the big daddies. that really go in great detail 
with reference to the Christian Sabbath. But I've already given 
you the summary. Secondly, in terms of the theology, 
the emphasis on creation and redemption as the rationale for 
Sabbath-keeping in both covenants. the emphasis on creation and 
redemption as the rationale in both covenants. So, in the Old 
Covenant, Moses, under God, argues from creation. In Exodus 20, 
he argues from redemption. In Deuteronomy 5, When we come 
to the New Covenant, it's the same rationale, creation and 
redemption affected by the second person of the Trinity, and that's 
the scenario envisaged in Hebrews chapter 4. As God rested on the 
seventh day as a pattern and as a reflection of His complacency 
over what He had made, so Christ entered into His rest on that 
first day when He resurrected from the dead. That is the day 
upon which these two themes serve as the rationale for Sabbath 
keeping. In terms of practical help, whenever 
we engage in instruction on the Sabbath, the inevitable question 
comes up, well, can I go to Tim Hortons? Can I play Monopoly? Can I go to the lake? Can I this, 
that, and the other? People are smiling. Yeah, you 
probably asked those questions, right? Let me just read our confession 
of faith. I'm gonna take the weasel way 
out. Just read the confession and let it be, not let it be 
your guide, let the Bible be your guide. But realize, brethren, 
there's a lot of differing opinions on this. There's another very 
helpful book on Sabbath in the New Covenant, and it's called 
Call the Sabbath a Delight. And the author makes the observation, 
you know, you've got one family, and the son comes to the dad, 
and he says, Dad, can we go out and ride our bikes? And the dad 
says, no, today is Sunday, today is the Lord's Day, we have to 
stay inside. And then they're staying inside, 
and they're looking outside the window, and then there's a family 
from their church, that rides their bikes right down the street. Of course, that perplexes the 
kid. It perplexes everybody involved. Well, what we don't know is that 
this family is riding their bikes to the park because they like 
to sit in the park while they go over catechism and recite 
memory verses and that sort of thing. In other words, the temptation 
is very much in us to get very judgy when it comes to this whole 
issue, and we need to guard our hearts against that, this really 
judgy attitude. Now, there are obviously things 
that you shouldn't do. I mean, on a day of rest, and 
a day of blessing, and a day of sanctification, a day wherein 
we get to worship our true and living God. I mean, there are 
things that we shouldn't do. There are things that we should 
cease from, and there are things that we should, you know, free 
ourselves up from. Our confession, again, I think 
is helpful. The Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord when 
men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their 
common affairs aforehand, do not only observe a holy rest 
all day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their 
worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole 
time in the public and private exercises of his worship and 
in the duties of necessity and mercy." Now, before you go, man, 
who could ever do that? Because I've heard that before. 
That's just way restrictive. That's just way terrible. Well, 
it's kind of like the commandment, the seventh commandment. Ideally, 
you're not supposed to have relations with another human, right? You're 
not supposed to have a thought about having relations with another 
human. You set out the parameters that are required. You set out 
what lawfulness looks like. Of course, we're gonna fall short 
in every single commandment given by our God. Is there any of you 
who can boast or any of us who can boast, wow, I do the first 
commandment so well. I have no other gods before me 
ever. Do you realize what kind of an 
admission or confession that is? I would suggest that you 
really don't understand that statement or the fifth commandment. I gotta tell you, that's been 
one of my big struggles over the last year, big time. I know 
about subordination to the governing authority. I embrace the whole 
thing in principle. But man, there's some of this 
that really drives me nuts. But in terms of treatment, you 
would expect ethicists or people commenting in terms of the Bible 
that you need to submit. Your heart needs to be in it. 
You need to do so in a willing, loving way. Well, brethren, I 
struggle with that. I'm sure you struggle with certain 
things as well. I don't know why when it comes 
to the fourth commandment, we forget all that. We forget it's 
either absolute perfect compliance or obedience, or we're just the 
most devilish people in the world. Well, none of the other commandments 
are like that. I'm not saying it in order to go out and disobey 
them, but I am saying it to remind us that we need to keep looking 
at the commandment keeper, our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only 
one in the history of the world that ever kept the commandments 
perfectly. He did it exactly. He did it 
entirely. He did it perpetually. He did 
it personally. Everything God demands in terms 
of law keeping, Christ did on our behalf. But in terms of what 
it looks like, I think that our confession represents well this 
approach. As well, with reference to the 
use of the fourth commandment, I've mentioned the threefold 
use of the law. You have the civil or political 
use. Wouldn't it be great if everybody in the world actually 
took a day off? I mean, there's more to life 
than money. There's more to life than labor. There's more to life 
than all the things that are held out as the primary emphasis 
in our world. I mean, it wouldn't kill us to 
take a day off and rest in our blessed God. The second is the 
pedagogical use. You want to know your sin? Look 
at how you keep the Sabbath day. You want to see your need for 
Jesus? Look at how you keep the Sabbath day. There's a great 
benefit to using the law lawfully in this particular manner. And 
then normatively, how do we live? How do we function? How do we 
orchestrate our lives of sanctification? Well, we should try to keep the 
day holy. We should try to cease from our earthly labors. We should 
try to think God's thoughts after Him. We should try to regulate 
our lives, not according to Israel's calendar, but according to God's 
Word revealed in the moral law for His people in whatever covenant 
they find themselves in. And then the final thing that 
I think is important, and I think that is necessary, is questions 
for anti-sabbatarians. I have felt this press, and I'm 
not saying it in the sense of, oh, poor little me. No, but I 
felt the press that always it's the Sabbatarians that have to 
defend themselves. It's never the anti-Sabbatarians 
that have to defend themselves. I would suggest anti-Sabbatarians 
take their cue from our provincial government. This provincial government 
has been able to do what New Covenant theology and dispensational 
theology hasn't, kill the Christian Sabbath. That is an unfortunate 
reality that has gone the way in all of this. The Sabbath has 
been set apart by our government, and for whatever reason, churches 
have followed suit. But in terms of some questions 
for anti-Sabbaterians, why does God establish the six-in-one 
pattern at creation? God's God, He's infinitely wise. Whatever He does by example is 
for His creatures. There is a six-in-one pattern 
at creation. Why does Sabbath observance predate 
Sinai? Genesis 4, Exodus 16. Why does God at Sinai tell them 
to remember the Sabbath? See, dispensationalists will 
tell us that the Ten Commandments were given to the Jews. No, the 
Ten Commandments were given by God to man. The Ten Commandments 
predate Sinai, including Sabbath, such that when we get to Sinai, 
God tells them to remember. Why does God refer to both creation 
and redemption in the giving of the Sabbath law? Because creation 
sets forth for us the pattern of God in Genesis 2, and redemption 
sets for us the pattern of God in the saving of his people. 
Why does Isaiah speak of Sabbath keeping during the Messianic 
age? Isaiah 56 and 58 are closely 
attached to Isaiah 53. It is the work of the suffering 
servant, that man of sorrows, who was crucified for us, that 
leads to the blessing seen in Isaiah 54, in terms of the peace 
and stability of the people of God. Isaiah 55, the foundation 
upon which sinners are called to faith and repentance. 56, 
talking about eunuch inclusion in the New Covenant community, 
and Sabbath keeping in the New Covenant community. Why does 
Jesus claim lordship of the Sabbath in Mark 2 and in Matthew 12? 
Only to invalidate it after his death? He is the Lord of the 
Sabbath, but you don't really need to be too concerned about 
that, because once I die and fulfill it once and for all, 
there'll be no more Sabbath. No, most or a lot of or a majority 
of his confrontation with the religious leaders was concerning 
Sabbath wars. Why does Jesus say that the Sabbath 
was made for man? He doesn't say for Jew. He doesn't 
say for Israel. It could be man, Adam, or it 
could be man generically, which either way, Adam represents Adam 
and man generically. The Sabbath was made for the 
man. That brings us back to creation. The best of Christian interpretation 
with reference to Sabbath keeping sees it first as a creation ordinance. There are things established 
in the garden that are paradigmatic for the creature of God going 
forward. Why would Jesus clear away Jewish 
corruptions only to destroy it not long after? Why does the 
early church meet on Sunday, the first day of the week? And 
again, we looked at that material. It is there, it is conspicuous. Why does the integrity of the 
Ten Commandments suffer in the New Covenant? In other words, 
why should we expect only nine out of the ten are for the people 
of God in the New Covenant? No, it's the Ten Commandments. 
It doesn't matter if you're Old Covenant. It doesn't matter if 
you're New Covenant. This is a revelation of who God 
is. It is a revelation of what God 
demands from His people. And why does the author of Hebrews 
emphatically assert that a Sabbath rest remains for the people of 
God? Those are some questions that 
I would really like answers to from somebody who says, oh yeah, 
we're under 9 of the 10 commandments. And this weaselly way of saying, 
well, Jesus fulfilled the law. He certainly did. And he fulfilled 
the law on not murdering. He fulfilled the law on not committing 
adultery. But we find ourselves subject 
to those laws still as a pattern for sanctification in this new 
covenant arena. and to the argument that Sabbath 
keeping takes away from the spontaneity of the Christian man. I mean, 
you've heard that before. Well, every day is the Lord's 
day. It's kind of like racism today. 
If everything is racism, nothing is. If every day is special, 
none of them are. The blessedness of God has ordained 
one day out of seven for the church to cease from her worldly 
labors, to enter into the presence of God, to worship Him. So yeah, 
the Lord owns every day. He owns all the food, but there's 
a specific reference to the Lord's table, 1 Corinthians 11, and 
the Lord's day. and Revelation 1. But in terms 
of the spontaneity or that it's inconsistent with Christian liberty, 
again, William Ames, Christian liberty is not at all diminished 
in this conception, as some seem to feel without cause. For it 
is not liberty, but non-Christian license, which results, if any, 
think themselves free from the observance of any commandments 
of the Decalogue or the institutions of Christ. Experience also teaches 
that license and the neglect of holy things more and more 
prevail when due respect is not given to the Lord's day." In 
other words, if we are going to relax on that, our sanctification 
is going to be affected across the board. But finally, the gospel 
of our salvation. will never be saved by the law, 
will never be saved by our Sabbath keeping, it is always and alone 
in and through the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Romans 14, we should learn on how we ought to love one another 
in spite of our differences. Galatians chapter 4, we should 
learn that it's not faith in Christ plus the law, the ceremonial 
law of Moses that gets me favor with God. And in Colossians chapter 
2, it's not these people that want to judge us, it's not these 
people that inflict will worship on us, but solely and alone it's 
grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the law keeper, 
he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and 
he is the one that was raised again the third day for our justification. Well, let us pray. Father in 
heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the consistency 
of scripture from Genesis to Revelation. We thank you for 
your law. We know it's good, it's holy, 
it's right, it's just. We know the problem is always 
with us. but help us to appreciate that the commandments of God 
are not grievous, they're not burdensome, they're not something 
that you afflict us with, but there's something given to protect 
us and something given to help us along the way. And we know 
ultimately we are saved not by our law-keeping, but by grace 
through our Lord Jesus Christ and the blessedness of his life 
and death and resurrection. May you encourage us and may 
you help us now as we go forth to keep the day, to rejoice in 
the Lord God Most High, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.