Holy Day or Holiday? (Part 2 of 4)

The idea of a Sabbath rest, is often considered old-fashioned or obsolete. After all, God's law was given to Moses thousands of years ago. Life is change dramatically since them.

Does it still matter if we set aside one day a week were continuing our study of the Sabbath on Truth for Life weekend. Alistair Begggest teaching from Exodus chapter 20, and were in verses eight through 11 Sabbath day by keeping it holy sanctified the phrase here means two things. It means first of all Sabbath day by setting it apart is what it means to keep it holy means to set it apart not immediately answer to that on the part of some is to say, but you don't understand, or maybe not so forcibly but is able to find in every day of the Lord's day will there's a sense in which that's true we are to serve the Lord every day. We understand the Lord every moment of every day on the way in which we do our work on to be a service to the Lord. John Murray, late John Murray, Prof. Westminster theological seminary says to obliterate the difference between one day and the other six to obliterate the difference may appear's but it is my all city not is not piety to be wiser than God is in piety of the darkest human the Sabbath day is different from every other day and to obliterate this distinction in thought or practice is to destroy what is the essence of the institution. There is a wealth contained in that statement. Let me let me summarize it for the recognition of the distinction of the day is indispensable to observance the recognition of the distinction of the day is indispensable to its observance, so that unless you and I be convinced that God has distinguished this day for all of time because he has distinguished it in this way, we must live within the framework of what he is laid down, then any attempts at keeping the Sabbath day will simply be as a result either of legalistic externalism or as a result of a kind of time honored tradition or as a result of the reinforcement of what has become customary for now. I grew up as a child in Scotland in exactly that position, and all children must furtively ask a child for that they like the idea of a different day on the Lord's day. The answer is no, I do not. So we wouldn't ask. We would tell this is the framework and any child unredeemed unregenerate is going to buck the system. Sound like this and I don't like this day and I don't want to do this and I don't want to worship certainly don't want to do it twice and I'm not going in. I don't like the Sunday school. I'm sick and tired of the whole operation is fine honey, I heard I've been there.

Now let's go. Let's just continue just as we said we were doing were on our way now unless the day dawns when God by his spirit redeems that child and in the heart of that child what to that point has been simply the observance of custom and it now becomes the conviction of their tiny life. Then from that day, everything changes because once they have become convinced, once the ownership of the principal in their own lives. Then they no longer do things simply as a result of constraints but they do them. As a result of an internal conviction now is true is that is of children. It is true of us all, and that is why many of us continue to buck the ideal of the Lord's day because it is a conviction about its distinction, which creates relevance to its observance and since we have never come to a conviction about his distinction anytime anyone suggests to as that. This is what may comprise the Lord's day, our answer is, who do they think they are to tell me what I'm going to do with my time. It's not your time, and it's not my time every breath I breathe is a gift from God and he is in charge of my time and he created time and so that in the way that he intended intends that the utilization of time shall bear testimony to the distinction of his creative work, and shall bear testimony to the fact that we are his covenant children. You see the same thing is true of any commandment, if you take the commandment.

For example, in relationship to adultery. If you and I are only going to keep the commandment regarding adultery on the basis of its pragmatic usefulness. Wiser, good idea.

You know you get yourself in a lot of trouble, but not as a result of his rightness as a result of divine authority not as a result of an internal conviction, then we are left to the winds of circumstance to blow, then within the situation and somebody says why not.

And since the commandment is simply kind of practical accretion for us and is not an internal conviction for then the smell of the perfume or the heat of the evening on the drive of the passion may be enough to take us right in to total seven because we never internalize the command.

God's law had never been written upon our hearts and we had never said I delight to do your will. We never settle this issue. I am the Lord your God. You shall do this we have never bowed there.

We had never internalize its truth and so as soon as the seven stanzas went against us. We were swept into chaos. That is exactly I put it to you what is happening with the Lord's day in the continental United States and in the Western world at large. We have vast numbers of people who have never become convinced of the distinction of the day. They have no internal conviction about the day about his abiding relevance.

And so when somebody says why don't we do this, why don't we go there. Why don't we do whatever it is you, why not because after all, the only lingering notion that we have any abiding relevance of the command is that it is something to do with not lighting fires and not riding your bicycle are not doing a bunch of stuff that we've picked up from somewhere on the line that we don't of any notion of. So if I can express it as clearly as possible observance of the Lord's Sabbath quickly becomes obsolete if it does not spring from the sense of sanctity generated and nourished by the fact that God set apart this day for our there's not irksome it's not a punishment itself nominal, liberating privilege until we understand the distinction and apply it. We will internalize any expressions of it as either anachronisms or works of human personality.

That's the first element in the sanctifying of the Lord's day. It is assented part it is a making a difference of one day from the rest. God distinguish one day from the rest, he distinguished himself by what he did what he did. The second element to it is and it's just the other side of the coin that keeping it holy makes clear to us that the difference which God has ordained. In this day is a difference of a specific kind. The day is not simply a day set apart from other days, but it is a day set apart to the Lord, so that keeping the Sabbath is not in it for 20. The key to the Lord's day is not just waking up and lying your babble about 11 o'clock or 12:30 and say what is a day of rest. Therefore, I must not see this refusing why we have only services for goodness sake is mostly damn right it's tell me about it, which you don't understand the this is the race which garners her day is a racist form labor and are rest to the day of rest is a day which has a positive die mention of focused towards the Lord our God is not simply From our everyday routine, but it is For the Lord is arrest of another kind of activity rest from the orbit of the activities of the other six days.

Why because we might be released into the worship and contemplation of the glory of God. That's why now the fact that some people don't do this and don't do that and don't do the next thing because they're a bunch of legalists that's their problem. But the fact of the matter remains that if we would remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Distinguish it from all the other days do so by distinguishing it by exercising our hearts in the religious exercises of worship and study of prayer and piety acts of mercy and kindness and so on. I recognize I can disassociate myself from this that I have the benefit of a Scottish heritage. Amazing benefits in relationship to the danger in it, though, is that you go it's cultural.

He's is coming off with a bunch of that stuff from across the sea. That's why you and I left to think it out together. But I was brought up to understand this. That's why we visited old ladies in the hospital on Sunday afternoons.

Why because it was her green D's see the Pharisees try to tie Jesus up a notch with a man with a shriveled show the price he say you want to healing today your break the Sabbath Jesus is that you guys are what you can come up with all these external written. Rosie said if you are sheep and fell in a ditch to get it out on the Sabbath they'll look shamefacedly at each other because of course they would send you crazy Rascals, look at this man here do not think a man with a shriveled hand is more important to God. The one your sheet lying in a ditch since the guy stretch forth your hand stretches or was he doing. Setting aside the Sabbath setting the Sabbath aside from the ridiculous accretions of the founders all the little bits and pieces that the danger is you see that is setting aside any intrusions of Pharisaism we actually do is we throw the baby out with the bathwater were left as so many of us, frankly, are to this point in our lives. With only nine commands so the principal stated is such that we might enjoy the privilege of God's presence study of God's word, the fellowship of God's people on interrupted by both employment and leisure, which draws from us devotion to Christ in a singular way on other days. But here's the thing's business friendly like something you would want to spend the whole day is where without her newspaper CNN and without recreation answers no, I don't like the sound you know what you don't like the sound of you don't like the sound of what is going to be to be in the presence of Christ will return. Six of us going to a cabin on the link we go away because we love one another, were glad of one another's company were there for two half days, and suddenly somebody at noontime says she will know something interesting.

Never turn the TV you know what's happening in the we never read a newspaper called the office.

You know I never called to check on my why because the context of fellowship and law, and enjoyment slogans of the system whenever our experience of worship is sold in our notion of the Lord's day is so disintegrate, so as to conceive of it in such a way that we believe that religious exercises are supposed to get over and done with the possibly song that we make won't get on with the day and we stand condemned before the fourth wheel action to be getting down on our knees thanking God for the privilege of being brought under the or influence of a church that is determined on the basis of the holy Scriptures that we will get an opportunity along the Lord's for all the things that the Lord's name was intended to for worship for prayer for study for fellowship for holy contemplation and that it does not once says more about the low level of our spiritual than it does about the fourth commandment makes it clear that God has provided this day to worship undisturbed by personal business or pleasure, and the question is what should we welcome so much as a day of worship and service to God on interrupted by the routine in the rush. The scramble of work and recreation. That's the principal stated the pattern applying will go on to consider, let me just give you a flavor that again either falls into the realm of anachronism or falls into the round.

Something to which we might approach this is a description by a guy whose name was Donald McDonald. He was the minister of Gray Friar St., Church of Scotland in Inverness for many years and died in 1970, addressing the issue of the Lord's day and how it might be profitably shared. He says I shall cherish the memory of it. As long as I live Sabbath in my native island of Lewis and my boyhood days. This is his experience as he grows up as a child in the 80s. Let us allow geography to put his 10 Commandments don't apply any better in the remote parts of the Western miles of Scotland in the apply in the heart of the continental United States. He says the Sabbath day was prepared for on Saturday evening. All the household work was finished earlier than usual tomorrows meals as far as that was possible were prepared by 10 PM. The family gathered." The book was taken Scottish Highland home to this day. If you are there for a meal close to the whole man one point towards the end of the evening say, shall retake the book may be forgiven for thinking that is referring to the Sears catalog the Yellow Pages or something but he and so he says the book was taken, however late with their household work.

Some might be on other nights necessity. There would not be one light hundred to be seen at 12 Sabbath itself began with family worship, public worship began usually at 12 noon. Hundreds of people made their way to the house of God. The only way to get there was by walking yet almost everyone who was able to go attend although many live several miles evening worship was at 6 o'clock and again everyone who could go. Is there particularly impressive was the complete silence the field throughout the day.

The stroke of work was done was no noise of car parked between church services. Nolan was seen outside his own house except those who like to take their capital to drink.

She genuinely seen going up and down the main road.

People would come to their door stress one another if he knew who it was being absolutely certain he was going for medical aid for some ill person or to deliver an urgent message inside the house. No books were read about the Bible and religious groups. All other books were put away on Saturday night conversation about worldly things was not about frequently, relatives and friends who had a long distance to walk to the church, came into my parent's home between services and their conversation was always of a religious kind is a rule they discuss points made by the preacher in the morning service was the way the Lord's name was observed as I that he says of course was in a country place.

Unhappily, it is now impossible to get a quiet Sabbath similar to that which I described whatever we go Sabbath desecration is penetrated to the most isolated hamlets in home Sunday newspapers, radio, television, and pleasure loving tourists of life, no corner, however remote and touch.

Yet, in spite of all of this, it is possible for believers to enjoy the blessing of God in his day and now I shall explain how they can obtain when we return we will try and tackle in this very different geography. Some 20 years on the practical applications of the observing the forthcoming use Sabbath distinctly different day in your house will worship service to God.

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Each chapter of God is explains one attribute that shows how it's displayed in Jesus. It provides practical application for your life and all you will explore 26 different characteristics of God. Things like his sovereignty, his mercy and his faithfulness. Find out about the book God is when you visit our website at Truth for Life.work now here is Alister close with prayer to God and our father. Now we realize why the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God as we gaze into the mirror of your law and see ourselves. We know we need a Savior. And I pray today that you will convict and convince of sin in the life's of some that is our service ends.

They may not be able to leave but to come and pray and settle the issue of faith believing in Christ that others are less who, by our disregard for your law. Live life's pragmatically pleasing ourselves that you will catch us, you will consume us with your grace and your goodness, you will create within us convictions so that we are not suffering under external rules nor routine customs nor buffeted by the expressions of the culture of our day remind us that we are a holy nation chosen people. People belonging to God that we might declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light right your word upon our hearts. We pray that we might live to your glory and made grace, mercy, and peace from father, son and Holy Spirit in the abiding portion of all who believe. Today and forevermore about the p.m. The fourth commandment compels us to be intentional about one day each week. What would happen if we applied that principle in our society today. I would things be different. Find out as you join us again next week. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life.

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