The Fourth Commandment 02/05/2023

First Baptist Church Leominster

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comes to preach for us. Thank you our Father for this word that you've given us and we thank you our

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God that you have gifted some to open up your word to our understanding.

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We pray for Pastor Jason now that you would fill him with the blessed Holy Spirit to preach your word and may you fill each of us with the

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Holy Spirit so that we might hear it rightly, learn it our God, and apply it to our lives as we contemplate our

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God this fourth commandment. Help us our Lord to be attentive to this Sabbath rest to set aside this

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Lord's day our God to seek you and to reflect upon you to experience spiritual restoration and strengthening for the new week before us.

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We pray this Father Jesus name, Amen. This morning we return to our study of the

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Ten Commandments Exodus chapter 20 verses 1 to 17 and since we began this study last summer and then took a four -month break

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I'd like to review a couple of things before we begin any new material. There are three goals that I'm hoping to achieve in our study of the

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Ten Commandments. The first goal is for each one of us to come to a greater appreciation and understanding of the

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Lord God. I hope that each one of us will come to a greater understanding of God's nature, his character, and his attributes as we study his law.

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After all what does the law of God reveal? It reveals the lawgiver.

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The second goal is that each one of us will come to a greater understanding of what is required by the

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Lord God. I hope that each one of us will more clearly understand the will of God for our lives.

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The law of God is a map which reveals and directs to us that which is pleasing and glorifying to him.

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And the third goal is that each one of us will come to a greater understanding of how to use these tools, the

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Ten Commandments, to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ and to make disciples of all nations, thus fulfilling our

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Great Commission. The law of God is a guardian. It is a tutor.

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It is a schoolmaster that reveals our great need for a Savior. Thus we would be foolish not to use the law in our evangelistic endeavors.

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May the Lord help us and guide us as we seek to achieve these goals.

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By way of reminder, Exodus chapter 20 verses 1 to 7. And God spoke all these things saying,

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I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

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You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.

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You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous

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God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

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You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

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In the first commandment we are commanded to have no other gods but the

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Lord God. You shall not put any other gods before the Lord God. You shall not put any other gods before the face of the

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Lord God. You shall not follow, you shall not serve, you shall not worship any other so -called gods but the

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Lord God alone. In the second commandment we are commanded to worship the

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Lord God in the right manner. You shall not worship the Lord your God by using carved images or any other likeness of anything in heaven or on earth.

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You shall not bow down to them. You shall not bow down to man -made images or idols.

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You shall not worship them. You shall not serve them for the Lord your God is a jealous

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God. Rather, the Lord God is to be worshipped in spirit and truth, in a manner that is consistent and regulated by the

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Scriptures. In the third commandment, we are commanded to hallow or revere the name of the

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Lord God by not taking the name of the Lord God in vain. You shall not use the name of the

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Lord your God in an irreverent or superficial manner. In your speech, in your actions, in the entirety of your lives, the name of the

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Lord God must be employed in a thoughtful, meaningful, and reverential manner.

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So in the first commandment, worshiping a false God is forbidden. You shall have no other gods before me.

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In the second commandment, worshiping the right God in a false manner is forbidden. You shall not make for yourself a carved image to worship or to use as an aid in worship.

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In the third commandment, any abusing or profaning the name of the Lord God is forbidden.

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You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Please turn with me to the book of Exodus.

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This morning we continue our study by examining in detail the fourth commandment.

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Exodus chapter 20 verses 8 to 11. Remember the

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Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a

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Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant or your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates.

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For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.

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Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. This commandment is by far the most controversial of all the other commandments and it's going to take us at least a couple of Sundays to get through all the ins and outs of this particular command.

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Amongst Christians there is widespread disagreement on how the fourth commandment is to be interpreted today and with good reason.

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Remember there are three types of law in the Old Testament. There is the civil law, the ceremonial law, and the moral law.

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The civil law consisted of laws that govern the state of Israel as a physical nation under the

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Lord God. The civil law has been revoked because we do not live under the authority of an

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Israelite king. The church is not an earthly kingdom. The church is a spiritual kingdom with a spiritual king.

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The ceremonial law consisted of various regulations for the celebration of certain religious festivals and for worshiping the

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Lord God in his tabernacle, in his temple, and his sanctuary. The ceremonial laws encompassed everything surrounding the sacrificial system.

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This law has also been abrogated. It was abrogated at the death of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. In the ceremonial law, every one of its restrictions, regulations, and rituals pointed forward to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. And the ceremonial law was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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The moral law is the Lord God's perfect declaration of his will to all mankind.

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The moral law promises life upon its fulfillment and it threatens death upon its breach.

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The moral law remains and is perpetually binding. Now the reason why there is so much misunderstanding and confusion regarding the fourth commandment is that the fourth commandment contains aspects of each one of these laws.

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The fourth commandment was civil, it was ceremonial, and it is moral. So we need to sort out which is which, what aspects have been abrogated, and what aspects remain.

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Now there are three principles in our passage this morning. In Exodus 20 verses 8 through 11 we see the command itself, verse 8.

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We see the command explained, verses 9 and 10. And in verse 11 we see the reason for the command.

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Let's look at each one of these principles in detail. What is the fourth commandment? Exodus 20 verse 8, remember the

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Sabbath day to keep it holy. Well what is a Sabbath day? The term

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Sabbath means to cease or to rest. The Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week which is a day of rest, a day to cease from our work and labors.

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Well what does it mean to remember the Sabbath day? Well to remember means to consider or to ponder or to reflect upon.

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Consider the Sabbath day, ponder the Sabbath day, reflect upon the

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Sabbath day, and recall it to your mind. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks question 58, what is required in the fourth commandment?

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The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word, expressly, one whole day in seven, to be a holy

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Sabbath to himself. To remember the Sabbath day is to keep holy to God one whole day in seven.

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In other words, in your life as you seek to balance family and work responsibilities amid all your recreational plans and hobbies, amid all of your earthly tasks and responsibility, the

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Sabbath day must be taken into account. It must be remembered.

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It must be observed. The Sabbath day is not meant to be disregarded, ignored, or dishonored, rather it is to be kept holy.

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One day in seven is to be kept holy. But how are we to keep the

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Sabbath day holy? Well the Hebrew word translated holy refers to something that is consecrated.

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It refers to something that is set apart. It implies purity that is set apart from impurity.

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Something to be holy means that it is distinct. It means that it is separate from everything else.

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For example, the Lord God is holy, meaning the

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Lord God is set apart. He is distinct. He is separate from everything else in all of creation, both in the heavens and on the earth.

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The Lord God is far above. The Lord God is far beyond all other people and all other things.

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Isaiah 40 25, To whom then will you compare me that I should be like him, says the

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Holy One. Hosea 11 9, I will not execute my burning anger.

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I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not a man.

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The Holy One in your midst. Acts 17 24 and 25,

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The Lord God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

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Beloved, the Lord God stands alone. The Lord God has no equals. There is nothing that can be compared to the

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Lord our God. There is nothing that can be likened to the Lord our God. There is no one like the

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Lord our God. He is utterly distinct and set apart from everyone and everything else.

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The Lord our God is holy, holy, holy. So to keep the

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Sabbath day holy means that we will keep it distinct and separate from every other day.

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It means that we will consecrate it and set it apart. It means that we will keep it a special and holy day.

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The Sabbath day is kept holy when we celebrate the day as a day that is distinct from every other day.

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Again the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks question 60, how is the

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Sabbath to be sanctified? Another word for holy. Well the Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

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Beloved the Sabbath day is kept holy by our rest and by our worship.

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To keep the Sabbath day holy means that we will set it apart from every other day. We will rest from our daily and secular work and we will devote the day to the worship of the

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Lord our God. It means that we will keep it holy just as the

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Lord Jesus Christ kept it holy. For the Lord Jesus Christ the

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Sabbath was a day of worship with the people of God. Luke 4 16, and he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as was his custom he went to the synagogue on the

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Sabbath day and he stood up to read. For Christ Jesus it was also a day for doing good, for serving others.

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Luke 13 10 through 17, now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the

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Sabbath and behold there was a woman who had a disabling spirit for 18 years.

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She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said to her, woman you are freed from your disability.

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And he laid his hands on her and immediately she was made straight and she glorified

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God. But the ruler of the synagogue indignant because Jesus has healed on the

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Sabbath said to the people there are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed and not on the

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Sabbath day. And the Lord God answered him, you hypocrites does not each of you on the

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Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it. And ought not this woman a daughter of Abraham whom

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Satan bound for 18 years be loosed from this bond on the

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Sabbath day. As he said these things all of his adversaries were put to shame and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

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It's interesting that the Lord Jesus Christ so often healed on the

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Sabbath day. He performed miracles on the Sabbath. He healed

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Simon Peter's mother -in -law on the Sabbath. He healed the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.

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He healed the man born blind. The man with dropsy. The demon possessed man in Capernaum.

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And the lame man sitting by the pool of Bethesda all on a Sabbath day. The question is why?

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Why did the Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly choose to heal on the Sabbath day? Well at the time of Christ the religious leaders had greatly distorted and twisted the fourth commandment.

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And it added to it a great number of rigid and burdensome rules and regulations.

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The religious leaders had taken the law of God and significantly added to it. Elevating their own standard high above the standard that was set by the

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Lord God. In healing the afflicted and the diseased on the Sabbath day the

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Lord Jesus Christ was not breaking the fourth commandment. He was however breaking the religious leaders interpretation of the fourth commandment.

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This was a common point of ongoing conflict between the Lord Jesus Christ and the religious leaders of his day.

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In fact in the book of Matthew the Lord Jesus Christ rightly rebukes their hypocrisy and their insincerity multiple times over.

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To the multitudes the Lord Jesus said you have heard that it was said to those of old.

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You have heard this particular teaching on this particular law. You have heard the teaching of the scribes and the

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Pharisees. But I say to you this is the correct interpretation of the law.

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But I say to you this is the truth. In Matthew 5 21 through 48 six illustrations are given of the religious leaders faulty understanding of the law and righteousness by revealing the correct interpretation of the law and the correct standard of righteousness that is required by the

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Lord God. Heart righteousness and repeatedly healing others on the

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Sabbath day the Lord Jesus Christ was constantly rebuking the hypocrisy of the day and by his actions showing forth the correct interpretation of the fourth commandment.

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It was not unlawful to do good on the Sabbath. It was lawful and it was entirely pleasing to the

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Lord God. The Lord Jesus Christ upheld the fourth commandment by resting, worshiping, healing and serving others on the

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Sabbath day. Beloved if we are to keep the Sabbath day holy then we too must set apart the day from the other six.

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We must cease from our daily duties. We must cease from our secular and worldly employments and spend the day in worship with the people of God doing good deeds and serving others.

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Hebrews 10 24 let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

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In the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith article 22 paragraph 8 states the

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Sabbath is kept holy to the Lord when people have first prepared their hearts appropriately and arrange their everyday affairs in advance.

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Then they observe a holy rest all day from their own works words and thoughts about their secular employment and recreation.

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Not only that but they also fill the whole time with public and private acts of worship and the duties of necessity and mercy.

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The Lord God has given mankind six days to work. Six days to mind our own affairs.

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Six days to attend to our own dealings. The Lord God has given us six days to work and to accomplish whatever it is we desire and need to accomplish in this world.

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The Lord God also in his infinite wisdom his infinite goodness his infinite grace has given to mankind one day to cease from our work.

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The Lord God who is sovereign over our lives and our time has directed us and given us one day out of seven to rest from our work to rest from our earthly labors.

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Exodus 20 verses 9 and 10. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a

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Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work you or your son or your daughter your male servant your female servant or your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates.

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The Puritan Thomas Watson in his book the Ten Commandments wrote this. Six days shall you labor and do all your work as if God had said

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I am NOT a hard master I do not grudge you time to look after your own vocation and to get an estate.

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I have given you six days to do all your work in and I have taken but one day for myself.

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I might have reserved six days for myself and allowed you but one but I have given you six days for the work of your vocation and have taken but one day for my own service.

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It is just and rational therefore that you should set this day in a special manner apart for my worship.

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The reason given for this commandment and the reason why it is a just and rational command is that it is patterned after the example set by the

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Lord God himself in the creation account. Genesis chapter 1 for in six days the

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Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day.

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Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. The Lord God rested after six days of creation.

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In the space of six days the Lord God made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them and he rested on the seventh day.

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The Lord God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Thus we too must rest from our work and set aside the day as special.

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The Sabbath day must be kept distinct and holy from every other day.

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But isn't the Sabbath day strictly an Old Testament command? There are many within the evangelical world

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I would say the majority of the evangelical world who do not believe that the fourth commandment is applicable for the church today.

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The other nine are to be kept and obeyed but not the fourth commandment. Why is this such a commonly held doctrinal position?

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Well many insist that the New Testament is silent on the issue of the Sabbath. It is said that nowhere in the

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New Testament are we commanded to keep the Sabbath holy and since the

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New Testament is silent on the issue then we are not required nor under any obligation to keep it.

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In my studies of Scripture I see the Sabbath they mention many times in the

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New Testament. Numerous passages address a proper understanding and practice of the fourth commandment.

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The Lord Jesus Christ spent considerable time and considerable effort addressing the erroneous and legalistic views of the

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Pharisees regarding their Sabbath understanding and their Sabbath keeping. Matthew chapter 12 verses 1 to 14

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Mark 2 23 and into chapter 3 Luke 6 1 to 11

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Luke 13 10 through 17 Luke 14 1 through 6 John 5 1 to 18 and John 7 20 through 24 all address the issue of the

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Sabbath. In response to these passages a common objection that is often heard yes but the command itself is not repeated in the

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New Testament. Well this line of thinking can be traced back to an errant theological system called dispensationalism.

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At the heart of dispensational theology is the sharp and abiding distinction between Israel and the church.

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Thus there are two separate peoples of God. Israel is one which consists of the ethnic descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the church is the other which consists of all those who have been saved between the day of Pentecost and the rapture.

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These two separate and distinct peoples have two different covenants two different kings two different kingdoms and two very different destinies.

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Israel is not the church and the church is not Israel. Furthermore each group has its separate scriptures.

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The Old Testament is meant for Israel Matthew Mark and Luke are meant for Israel and the rest of the

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New Testament is meant for the church. According to dispensational theology one of the reasons that we do not need to adhere to the fourth commandment is that the fourth commandment was not meant for the church.

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The books of Exodus and Deuteronomy were written to Israel and for Israel and the fact that the fourth commandment is not repeated in the

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New Testament epistles where the other nine are confirms this truth. Well in contrast to dispensational theology we believe in the continuity between the

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Old and New Testaments. In other words there are one people of God and the church has existed from the very beginning.

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There is one king there is one kingdom one future and one book.

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The scriptures beginning in Genesis and running straight through to Revelation are meant for the church.

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The entire Bible is Christian scripture. The fourth commandment is just as applicable to Christians as the other nine commandments.

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Another common objection that is often heard well if Christ fulfilled the law then why do

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I need to keep it. Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 to 20.

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This is the Sermon on the Mount the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

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I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away not an iota not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

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Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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For I tell you unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

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In verses 17 to 18 the Lord Jesus Christ states that his teaching his ministry and his purpose was to fulfill not abolish the law and the prophets.

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Every word spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ was in perfect alignment with the law and the prophets.

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There was nothing in his life there was nothing in his message which in any way contradicted the

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Old Testament scriptures. The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to abolish the law he came to fulfill it which is exactly what he did.

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The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled every one of its legal demands every one of its legal requirements until and until heaven and earth pass away not an iota not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

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Well what's an iota what's a dot? Well an iota is the smallest letter of the

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Greek alphabet and it's used to express smallness or the minutest part of something.

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Here it is used as for the tenth and smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet which looks like an apostrophe it's very very tiny.

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There are approximately 66 ,000 iotas in the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ believed in the literal inspiration of the scriptures even in what might seem to be small and unimportant details.

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Nothing in the scriptures not even the smallest stroke is without significance and not only are the words of the scriptures divinely inspired but also each one of the letters.

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Well how about a dot what is a dot? A dot means something horn -like and it specifically refers to the farthest point or extremity of a

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Hebrew letter. A dot is a small mark that helps to distinguish one

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Hebrew letter from another. Think about the difference between the letters R and P or the letters

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E and F. The dot is what makes the difference between the two. Do you believe in a completely inerrant and infallible

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Bible? Do you believe that the scripture from Genesis to Revelation is

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God -breathed and divinely inspired? Beloved you should.

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Write down to every little iota and every little dot. Proverbs 35, every word of God proves true.

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He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

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In short the Lord Jesus Christ was teaching that not only are the scriptures God -breathed but the scriptures are also immutable.

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The scriptures are not subject to alteration to change or to modification. The Word of God is an anchor.

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It is steadfast. It is immovable. It is immutable. The Word of God will abide forever.

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The law of God will abide forever. Thus the law was not abolished by Christ's fulfillment of it.

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Of course as Christians we're not under the law as a covenant of works.

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The law cannot save you. The law cannot redeem you. The law cannot justify you.

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The law cannot save you. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ Jesus alone.

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However the law of God does reveal to us what is pleasing to the Lord. The Ten Commandments reveal to us the will and desire of the

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Lord God for our lives. The moral law of God the Ten Commandments including the fourth commandment are just as important and relevant today as it was when it was first received by Moses on Mount Sinai.

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Thus we must not relax any of the Ten Commandments not even the perceived least of these commandments.

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Rather we must keep them and we must teach them. The Lord Jesus Christ did fulfill the law of God.

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Every rule every regulation but he did not abrogate the moral law. The moral law remains because the

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Ten Commandments are an expression of the Lord God's immutable unchanging character.

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The Lord God does not change nor does his law. Well then if we must obey the fourth command then why do we observe the

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Sabbath on the first day of the week rather than the seventh? Because Christians gathering on the first day of the week is the emphasis and the pattern that we see in the scriptures.

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For example the Christian Church was established on the first day of the week

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Acts chapter 2 verses 1 to 4 when the day of Pentecost arrived they were all together in one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them and they were all filled with the

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Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. The day of Pentecost always occurred on the first day of the week which was 50 days after the

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Passover. It was one of the holy days on which the men of Israel were to appear before the

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Lord God in the city of Jerusalem. Now this made for a very large audience for the first sermon preached.

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On this day the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles and Peter stood up and preached a gospel message to the multitudes.

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The message was received and there were added that day 3 ,000 souls to the church.

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It was also on the first day of the week that Christians began to assemble. Acts 20 verse 7 on the first day of the week when we were gathered together to break bread

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Paul talked with them intending to depart on the next day and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

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Notice the two important church functions that are mentioned in this passage. There is the breaking of bread, the

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Lord's Supper, and a message, the preaching of the Word. First Corinthians 16 1 & 2.

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Now concerning the collection for the saints as I directed the churches of Galatia so you also are to do.

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On the first day of every week each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper so that there will be no collecting when

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I come. Notice here that Paul is directing the church to meet on the first day of each week and to put money aside.

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It would seem that he was referring to tithing but most importantly most importantly the

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Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the first day of the week. He was crucified on a

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Friday, he died, he was buried in a freshly carved tomb, he stayed in the tomb throughout the

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Sabbath day which was Saturday and victoriously rose again on the first day of the week.

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The reason we meet on the first day of the week is that the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the first day of the week and the first day of the week came to be called the

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Lord's Day. Here are the words of Thomas Watson from his book the

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Ten Commandments. The grand reason for changing the Jewish Sabbath to the Lord's Day is that it puts us in mind of the mystery of our redemption by Christ.

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The reason why God instituted the old Sabbath was to be a memorial of the creation but he has now brought the first day of the week in but now he has brought the first day of the week in its room in memory of a more glorious work than creation which is redemption.

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Great was the work of creation but greater was the work of redemption. As it was said the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former.

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So the glory of the redemption was greater than the glory of the creation.

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Great wisdom was seen in making us but more miraculous wisdom in saving us.

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Great power was seen in bringing us out of nothing but greater power in helping us when we were worse than nothing.

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It cost more to redeem us than to create us. In creation it was but speaking the word in redeeming there was shedding of blood.

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Creation was the work of God's fingers. Redemption was the work of his arm. In creation

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God gave us ourselves. In redemption he gave us himself. By creation we have life in Adam.

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By redemption we have life in Christ. By creation we have a right to an earthly paradise.

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By redemption we have a title to a heavenly kingdom. Christ might well change the seventh day of the week into the first as it puts us in mind of our redemption which is a more glorious work than creation.

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The Lord God commands his people to remember and keep the Sabbath day. We're to keep it holy.

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One day in six is to be distinct. Six days you shall labor and one day you shall rest.

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On it you shall do no work you or anyone whom you have authority or influence over.

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Because the Lord God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them and he rested from his labors on the seventh day.

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The seventh day is blessed and holy. Next month we'll continue our exposition of this command.

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We've really only just scratched the surface but we'll be addressing some common questions that often arise from the fourth commandment.

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We're also going to look at other New Testament passages that deal with this command. Mark chapter 2,

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Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Galatians chapter 2, Romans 14. We're also going to address two very common problems that happen around the fourth commandment and that is the tend to be lawless, you ignore it completely, or the tendency to be legalistic.

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At the time of Christ, Sabbath laws were greatly heavy and oppressive to the people but the

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Sabbath day is to be a delight and so next week I hope that I will present it as a delight so that you won't have to think through all the things you can and can't do but you will rest and relax and enjoy the

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Sabbath day as it was meant to be enjoyed. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for your great grace.

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We thank you that you've given us a day of rest. You've given us a day where we could worship you, where we could reflect upon you, where we could read the scriptures and fellowship, where we can partake of the

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Lord's Supper. Lord, we just ask that you would help us to understand this command especially in the world in which we live which completely rejects the fourth commandment.

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Much of the church rejects the fourth commandment. We pray, Lord, that you would line us up to what the word of God says.

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Conform us, Lord, to your will. Help us to walk in a manner that is pleasing.

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We thank you for your great grace. We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ who accomplished and fulfilled the law.

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He did what we could never do. We could never do. We could never accomplish what

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Christ accomplished. And so, Lord, we thank you for Christ. We thank you that he is our example, that he is our

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Savior, that he is our Deliverer, that he is our Redeemer. We thank you,

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Lord, that he is our God, he is our King, and we pray that our lives would reflect that.