Sunday ... Holy Day or Holiday?

Refocuses and strengthens lenses that I think the refocusing is so crucial in a society where you live and work. That tells you to produce to produce. You are significant in terms of what you produce, you are significant in terms of what you accomplish what happened you come here you'll find out what sorry you are significant because of you are in Christ Jesus.

Apart from the scramble for the top. We are really just the things that are really gathered together on a regular basis for some very specific purposes. God's people setting aside a day for worship goes all the way back to the time of Moses.

In fact it's in the 10 Commandments. Of course, in the law that God gave to Israel, the Sabbath was on Saturday were looking at that commandment in the practical implications for us today. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi this message is from our vintage wisdom library through the book of Exodus. Stephen called this lesson Sunday holy day or holiday.

I pull the book out of my study titled the workaholic I would read it earlier but I didn't have time. But I is very interesting because there are some universal heuristics for the workaholic and it was fascinating to discover these characteristics. One is an unending or an unchanging schedule they are tied to the same thing day in and day out without ever any change or any break or any stop. The second is a conversation that is riddled with personal accomplishment. You pull an individual like that over the side and in five minutes forgot to tell you what they're doing at the job and what they've accomplished. Because in their mind. It's produce produce produce is interesting that this individual will will experience an inability. Thirdly, to say no.

In other words, there always going to say yes. Whether it's an employer or a pastor or whoever that may be if I'm asked by my employer to stay over or take a trip or do that or this why say no I can think of that and so the third is to have an inability to say no before is more resolved, perhaps, than anything else that is cardiac and circulatory problems. That doesn't mean if you're hearing and you had cardiac difficulty that you are taking time off but it is a characteristic that those who never have that somehow someway occur were I think a little bit more tied into a universal law than we might like to admit were a lot like my Ford pickup truck. I need to rotate the tires. I need to make sure they're clean spark plugs, cleaning the carburetor periodically. All these things I imagine I need to do yesterday, but if I ever hope to keep that thing running.

I've got to do those things I gotta put on a maintenance schedule. We learn so much like that that God has designed the maintenance schedule for us and whether we want to follow it or not, it is clearly in Scripture, it is the principle of rest and I want you to turn to Exodus chapter 20. Let's look at it together. Exodus chapter 24 covering the 10 Commandments as we go through the book of Exodus we are now in the fourth Exodus chapter 20 verse eight verse eight says remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 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 not do any work you or your son or your daughter, your mail or your female servant, or your cattle or your sojourner.

That is the visitor who stays with you and that is so hard that that doesn't leave any loophole that he almost anticipates from an argument and before we can let out a PP comes along in the next verse and says, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

In other words, God who took a break to stock if you did so much more should we as finite creatures that did not take a break because he was tired did take a break because he reached the exhaustion point and a look back at all he had done it that I really need to get the battery recharge. Absolutely not a sovereign is him that Ben 10 has infinite power is never tired, you know why he didn't to establish an example for people like you and me get the feeling we are and we can go without a break. Now whenever I preach on a passage like this I have to answer a question, even though most of you here would have no problem with this part of my responsibility is refuting doctrinal error and there is a body of people out there that need refuting. It is the people who still believe we are under Old Testament law and worship on the Sabbath, the Sabbath or Shabbat really means rest or cessation. Why is it that you and I didn't worship on the Sabbath. Let me give you three reasons why.

First of all, the Sabbath was a covenant signed between Israel and Yahweh turned it easy kill is on the right-hand side of Saul's Ezekiel chapter 20 Ezekiel 20 verse 12 spells it out that this is a covenant signed between Israel and their God. Chapter 20 verse. Let's start with verse 10 God is speaking, he says, so I took them out of the land of Egypt, and I brought them into the wilderness and I gave them their this is now the 10 Commandments he's talking about everything else in the I gave them my statutes and inform them of my ordinances by which, if a man observes them he will live no notice and also I gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between me and them that they may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them of that passage of Scripture means that this command is unique to the Israelite nation. This command specifically deals with the Jewish nation. This is a covenant signed as the circumcision was and they were commanded by God to reveal their separateness to reveal the fact that they belong to him by taking this day out and resting and worshiping. So it was a covenant signed and we obviously is New Testament church are not under the covenant signed the Jewish nation by Colossians chapter 2 tells us that the cross was the substance of the shadow the shadow were the Lord, the sabbaths, and the new moons and the festivals, but now with the cross we have been given reality and will discover in a moment why what the reality is, but the second thing that I want you to notice the covenant sign was set aside because of the rebellion of Israel, dunking, heading right in two blocks to the book of Hosea chapter 2 unstick those pages and let's look at chapter 2 verse eight. He's again recounting the history of Israel through Scripture for she does not know that it was.

I gave her the grain and new wine in the oil and lavished on her silver and gold, which they can use for bail verse nine chapter 2. Therefore, I take back my grain at harvest time and might in its season. I will also take away my wall in my flax given the cover her nakedness. Look at verse 11. I will also put an end to all her gaiety feasts are new moons and her sabbaths so because of Israel's rebellion because they rejected ultimately we know that rejection took place when Jesus Christ offered the kingdom and they said no to him at that point at that rebellious moment.

God took away that covenant signed the Shabbat the rest or the cessation because they were now no longer a distinct nation under this new dispensation old race now something new is on the horizon.

What is that now God will deal with men, both Gentile and you on a similar standing and something else is created. Something happened in the New Testament, we can observe it is called the Sunday worship or the Lord's day. There were two significant events. The first was the resurrection we learn from every gospel writer that the resurrection took place on the Lord's day. That is the first day of the week. That's where we hear the first day of the week actually was the apostle John in the book of Revelation, chapter 1, who called it the Lord's day. He said I was in this spirit when I was receiving this vision on the Lord's day. That's where we get the title and it is very biblical. This is the largest day this Sunday not only the resurrection. Something else interesting happened on the first day of the week that was Pentecost the day after the preparation, so Jesus Christ rose from the grave on the first day of the week and every gospel writer considers that significant enough to include in the Jesus Christ creates this nobody when on Sunday the first day of the week.

Now that's good and well but there's something else. And this is the practice of the New Testament church. We learn as we go through the book of acts that the New Testament church took aside that particular day and begin to worship when you get the wax chapter 20 verse seven, you discover that they are worshiping the Lord pacifically on the first day.

In fact, they are taking the elements these to take it every day. Now they are reserving that element, or the Lord's table for Sunday very important example to follow. As we observe the New Testament church. So why do we worship today because of the resurrection, and we celebrate that because of Pentecost. And we celebrate with Jesus Christ is form and in this local manifestation. It happens to be Colonial Baptist Church and we follow the example of the New Testament believers by observing this particular day are we under law, we condemned to hell because we don't worship on the Sabbath know the Sabbath was given to the Israelite nation set aside because of the rebellion, but only mention this if we have trouble worshiping one day out of seven, we better get ready because we know from the prophets that in the millennial kingdom when Jesus Christ reigns on earth just what he reestablishes Shabbat the Sabbath that is Saturday. We will worship on Sunday anymore will go back because now he'll deal in that Israelite genre where we will once again join the nation in worshiping and resting on 77 the back to Exodus chapter 20 Jesus Christ through Revelation believing that these are the words of Christ. The Scripture tells us says not only to rest. He says remember the Sabbath day, to keep and what tell me holy holy means set apart for sacred use.

It's interesting that historians have given us a lot of insight in the early church we learn from studying them that after Jesus Christ ascended that they begin worshiping. As I mentioned in acts chapter 20 they relegated at the Sunday we know that that first service or those services held on this for Sunday's war Sunday evenings. They had what was called the agape feast around the dinner table and everyone would bring food and they would meet on Sunday evening to eat together and to worship, but as the church began to develop.

Historians reveal enough talking about people who were living in that day that have writing still exists today. They had so many slaves coming to Jesus Christ that they began a Sunday morning worship, so that the slaves could meet with the body before they went to work. Not any longer than 70 years after Jesus Christ was ascended to heaven. Ignatius lived that he gives us a Sunday morning service. It's interesting that they had prayers.

They had Scripture reading. They had singing that would be developed within the congregation people would stand periodically and share a testimony or maybe a passage of Scripture and then they always had communion every Sunday and what was fascinating as Ignatius mentioned that if you were absent from the body. After the service the deacons took the communion elements to your home and gave them to you.

There is evidently you were sick and so they made house calls back.

Deacons like to do that but we have a time when we come into your home given you communion the neighbors looking out the window. What in the world is going on.

But that's exactly how they did it. Now let me give you two ingredients of a biblical Sunday if we believe that this thing is to be set apart for sacredness. This is not a holiday. This is literally a holy day. This is where we recognize the living Christ. We need at least two, even though the form has changed from Exodus 20. The principles remain. Those two are these we party mentioned but let me specify number one rest writing down because you're stubborn enough not to rest. I can remember growing up in a home where we weren't allowed to play outside on Sunday. I know that really sounds strange to you, actually. I'm wondering how my mother ever survived with four kids in the house all afternoon man I'd I'd shovel them out the door. Maybe that's why we had to take naps on Sunday afternoon and that is by the way. One thing that has stuck with me about you, but there was something instilled in us that gave us a distinction that this day is different. It is set apart for rest.

We all need. I believe three changes in God is designed this data provide those three. First of all, we all need that physical change that's where rest takes its place. We need a physical change. We need to pull ourselves out of that jungle. If possible, I realize some jobs keep that individuals there perhaps a policeman or somebody related to the medical field and I know that cannot be held.

People who work with utilities, but if you can on that day.

Pull yourself out of the jungle and rest. Turn off the television rest. We also need an emotional change is important. We need to hear a different set of vocabulary than what we did during the week waiting to hear different music we needed to find emotional experience and this is the purpose of meeting together and taking this day out along that same line friends.

We need a spiritual change. It's interesting in the Old Testament that this wall was relegated, not just the humans and in animals you were to take the you'll call the oxen.

This is also related to agriculture unit in the unit is first thing that they had a Sabbath or Shabbat for the land one year out of seven. They were not allowed to plow a plant they were to leave the land alone and on the sixth year, God would give them so many crops that they would have a leftover to survive on the seventh year they disobeyed obviously and God sent them into captivity for stealing this Shabbat, but it's interesting the land was to lay dormant so that it couldn't keep its productivity deacons. The implication we are to take a day out of seven so that we can we can remain productive. We get so spiritually ingrained throughout the week.

If we keep up that kind of practice we will run out of spiritual funeral so he set aside this day for spiritual change when not only the spiritual change in the physical change in an emotional change.

Those are part of rest but we also need secondly worship. Not only is this day set aside for rest is also set aside for worship. Let me give you four things that this day will provide in its worship number one our worship services are designed to strengthen you.

Acts chapter 4 verse 31. Fascinating. It talked about the apostles, who with great boldness and courage went out to share the news of Jesus Christ was alive and that that came immediately after praying and studying with the body. It says almost consequentially that they got from their knees and their study and they went out and proclaim with less. He is alive, that is, the intention is to equip you for the purpose of ministry is to strengthen you and me as we rub shoulders and worship our God to go out and go back into that jungle and take his name with us share strengthens. Secondly, it cleanses it all to and I want to give you a suggestion that you prepare for cleansing go back in history far enough and will discover that the Puritans had what they called the vigil. I would really want to come from a Puritan family very stern and austere, and yet they had the principal called the vigil where on Saturday nights they would begin preparing for worship on Sunday. The vigil was a literal reference to the warming of the oven so that on Sunday when they put the bread and it would bake and they would prepare their hearts through vigil they would pray they would meditate, they would just start slowing the gears down. I think that is a tremendous principal that we lost.

We get up frazzled because Saturday nights are so often so hectic and so busy that we are prepared and I believe that we bring into this worship service parts that we've cultivated throughout the entire week. I believe that that the preparation is important even on Saturday night course in the Gospels, they called the preparation the evening before the Shabbat they would start slowing it down, meditating, saying prayers. So we come into this room to do what the sit here to sing a little bit now we come to be strengthen. We also come to be cleansed, we come to allow God to change our hearts to refocus our attention as 1/3 that is. This refocuses refocuses it strengthens it cleanses and I think the refocusing is so crucial in a society where you live and work. That tells you to produce to produce to produce. You are significant in terms of what you produce, you are significant in terms of what you accomplish and what happened you come here and you find out what different story you are significant because of who you are in Christ Jesus. Apart from the promotion apart from the well apart from the scramble for the top. We are really just into the things that are really significant. That is who we are in Christ Jesus.

We have that and fourthly, it not only strengthens and cleanses a refocuses but it encourages Hebrews chapter 10 is a classic passage of Scripture.

The preachers love to quote do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Every man well let's try that again. You know I believe is sad about that.

They have forgotten the rest of the passage I so that you can come together and provoke one another on salon and good works that doesn't mean for people to come in here and Philip up a chair significant, but if we come together to provoke to encourage tomato date on to love and good works, then we are accomplishing. G.

Campbell Morgan was a great expositor when my favorite authors have a number of his books he was pastoring a church when he went to visit a man who would stop coming to church and he sat in the men's parlor there in front of the crackling fire and the man was telling G.

Campbell Morgan is not important for me to be there. I can worship God anywhere.

I don't need the encouragement of the saints.

G. Campbell Morgan center quietly and then he leaned forward and he took a poker and he stuck it into the coals there at the bottom and he pulled one of them out and pulled aside without saying a word.

They both watch that coal as it grew cold. Morgan never said a word but the man turned and he said now I understand because the pile and stayed globally. You know something men and women.

I need you and you need each other and together we collectively form a pile of tools that encourage them to love and good works so many road once and I've never forgotten this.

The stops of a good man as well as the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, ladies and gentlemen for our evangelical world to to get the attention of God or for God to get our attention.

It's as if God will have to a make an appointment being taken number or see forget it, but I am convinced that he will not run to catch up.

He waits and I believe there is a principle that exists even today it is the law of rest. It is the law worship question is will I establish that will demand so little, and yet provide so much that was a lesson the day or holiday.

It's from our vintage wisdom series through the book of Exodus. July is quickly coming to a close and I don't want you to miss the free resource we have for you. We want to equip you to think biblically about politics were offering you an excerpt from Stephen's book.

I pledge allegiance people are born as citizens of their home country. But the Bible says that Christians are citizens of heaven, so Christians face a unique challenge. We have to determine where our allegiance lies in whenever our heavenly citizenship comes in conflict with the world. We need to determine how to respond to what extent should we be active in a concerned about the political process. Should we be trying to bring about political reformation. These are complex questions and Stephen explores them in this book he clarifies the believer's responsibility as dual citizens of heaven and earth. He also examines the difficult relationship between the church and state, and helps us prioritize that relationship. The first chapter of this book is available for you to download at no charge today go to wisdom online.org for information is a link right there on the homepage that will direct you to this resource. In addition to producing these daily Bible lessons.

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