Resting In Jesus / There Remains a Sabbath for the People of God

The Cultural Revolution and the Decline of the Lord’s Day

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Starting in the 1960s, during a period known as the cultural revolution, some of you who were alive back then, you remember some people called it the age of Aquarius, right?

There are some of these terms going around like this is a new day, it's a new time, and it's true that things started to change and it happened very quick. This is mainly, I think, because number one of a rejection towards God, but part of that was that's when the ideology of Marxism started to take root here in the west.

So it was around this time in the 1960s, 1970s, that's when people's view towards the things of God started to change. That's when people's attitude about the Lord's day started to change. Now some of you might say, well I don't know that I see the connection between the Lord's day and the cultural revolution.

I think it's emblematic at the very least. When you start viewing things differently and your whole world view changes, everything is changing. So there may not be a direct connection, but I think it's there.

I told you the story of the pastor last week who in the 1970s, he saw this very thing. He saw this very thing in this church actually, how Christians were starting to view the Lord's day as any other day.

Legalism, License, and the Sabbath in Israel

Now in fairness, to give the other side, there were some people who took the Lord's day and all of the rules, they probably took them a little too far, didn't they? Some of the things that kids couldn't do on Sunday were probably unreasonable or didn't have much to do with the Bible.

But the people who made those rules, I think they were well-intentioned. Why did they do it? Because they recognized that the Lord's day was set apart. So some people took it too far, added all these rules that aren't really in the Bible, maybe went too far.

But then the other side is, hey, it's Sunday, Tuesday, I can worship God, whatever, doesn't really matter. So legalism and license, these are the two problems. And if somebody's saying, well, pastor, are you really saying that this, the Lord's day, is this really the issue?

Is this really the thing to make an issue about? Yes, yes it is. Because this is why Israel was taken away into Babylon, into captivity for how many years? 70 years. You think that was just a coincidence, the number 70?

Why was it 70 years? Because for 70 years, God's people did not observe the Sabbath. It was not only the Sabbath day, it was the Sabbath year. 2 Chronicles 36 verse 21 says, To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths, as long as she lay desolate, she kept the Sabbath to fulfill 70 years.

In other words, the Lord allowed Israel to be taken captive into Babylon for 70 years because they, for 70 years, ignored the Sabbath day. Okay, so you see how serious this is of an issue for God. And their blessing in the land was dependent, to a large degree, on how they viewed the Sabbath.

Hebrews 4 and the Rest That Remains for God’s People

Now, you're in Hebrews chapter 4, right? Again, I would say the Apostle Paul, I believe the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. And if that's true, Paul says to the New Testament Christians who are Jewish, but he's saying this to New Testament Christians.

He says there remains a Sabbath for the people of God. So we want to know then, what is he talking about? What is this Sabbath? I said at the beginning, God is a good God. He's a good father. Good fathers give good gifts to their children.

Sometimes children don't always appreciate the gifts, do they? You know, for Christmas, you know, you can all relate to this. There's that one thing that you are asking for, and one thing that you had your heart set on.

And usually, you'd probably get it. But sometimes your parents would give you other gifts. And you didn't appreciate those gifts as much as the one that you wanted. But as they say, father knows best.

And that might not always be true, humanly speaking, but that father knows best. So this is a gift that God has given to his children, whether we fully recognize it or not. So let's look at this. What does it mean that there remains a rest or there remains a Sabbath for the people of God?

Hebrews chapter 4, verse 8. For if Joshua had given them rest, then he would not afterward have spoken of another day. Joshua, whose name in the Old Testament, this is the equivalent. Joshua is the Old Testament name.

Jesus is the New Testament name. Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land. But he was not able to give them that full and ultimate rest. That full rest would come from who? Yeah, the New Testament Joshua, that is Jesus Christ.

Verse 9. There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his.

Verse 11.

Let us, therefore, be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. So some of you might be picking up on this. That it seems like he's talking more than just a day, talking just about a day of the week.

It seems like it's something bigger than that, something greater than that. So what is this rest? Let's go back to verses 1 and 2. Hebrews 4, 1 and 2. Therefore, since a promise, we're going to go a little deeper this morning, so you have to pay attention.

This is a little complicated. Hebrews 4, 1 and 2. Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear, lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with what?

Right, it wasn't mixed with faith and those who heard it. So the author of Hebrews is using this Sabbath, is using rest as a picture or an illustration for salvation in Christ. Whatever this rest is, it has something to do with Christ and the gospel.

So I'll just make it as simple as I possibly can. The rest that remains for the people of God is a reference to salvation by faith, resting in faith, not works. Remember what the Sabbath is? It's a day of rest.

You rest from your labor. So the illustration is you don't labor to get into the kingdom of God. You don't work for your salvation. You rest in what Christ already did. Jesus did the work, right? Jesus did all of the work by dying on the cross for our sins and rising again the third day.

The cross was his work. Therefore, we don't need to work our way to heaven. We can't work our way to heaven. I would say it this way. We rest our way to heaven. We rest in what Jesus did for us. But the Lord's day is to be a visible, like a token.

The Lord's day is to be a visible demonstration of that, of that rest. Jesus said in Matthew 11, 28 through 30, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden. And what did he say? I will give you rest.

He says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You know, what a blessing that it is.

What a good gift that it is. That in order to be saved, we don't have to obey 613 different commandments. And make sure that we did this, we checked off that, and we offered this sacrifice. That's a heavy burden to bear.

And no one could do it. All we have to do is trust in Christ and then show our appreciation. It's really that, that simple. So Christ, hear me say it, Christ is our Sabbath rest. So just as God worked six days and rested on the seventh day, the Lord Jesus Christ did his work, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of God where he serves as our great high priest.

The one mediator between man and God. So then, what should our response be? Look at verse 14. Hebrews 4, verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

The Lord’s Day, Prayer, and Corporate Worship

So when we gather on the Lord's day, that's what we're doing. We're holding fast our confession. We all come and we sing praises. We sing about our faith. We speak about our faith. We pray about our faith.

We have fellowship because we have a shared faith. That's what the Lord's day is about. The church has been described as the visible manifestation of the kingdom of God. A type of foretaste of heaven.

It's going to be like this in some ways, but just a lot better. So then, on the first day of the week, we speak this confession as we wait for the Lord's return from heaven when he will do what? He will bring his, this is the spiritual kingdom.

He will bring his physical kingdom. That's why we pray every Sunday. What do we pray? Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth here as it is in heaven. So Sunday, the Lord's day is a reminder. It's a day we show our appreciation for our salvation.

We pray confessing our sins. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Look at verse 15. Knowing that we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but in all points he is tempted as we are yet without sin.

So Jesus knows what you're going through. Jesus understands. Verse 16. Because of that, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 13, Sacrifice of Praise, and Putting God First

So this is what the Lord's day is all about. A time set apart unto God where we gather, we worship, and we give thanks. We show our appreciation to God by gathering together corporately. I'll close with Hebrews 13, verses 15 and 16.

Therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But do not forget to do good and to share. For with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.

What did I say at the beginning of the message? If I could tell you there was a way to receive and walk in the fullness of God's blessing, would you be interested in that? And of course, you know, you would say yes.

I think you would say yes. Put God first. Give God the first and the best. I don't know about you, but Sunday is my favorite day of the week. And I don't just say that because I'm the pastor. I really believe it.

It's my favorite day. It is the day that Christ has blessed because it is the day that he rose from the grave. So in conclusion, the thing we can learn is remember. Remember the day to keep it holy. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for the good gift that you have given to us. Not only our salvation, which is all of grace, all of faith. There's nothing we can add to it. And Father, help us to rest in that salvation which Christ purchased for us.

But also, Lord, the good gift of your church, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, where we can come together and be reminded of all the great things that you have done. And also a time to be with friends and family, brothers and sisters in Christ, who encourage one another, who are bearing one another's burdens daily, praying for each other.

And Father, I would ask that you would help to grow this fellowship both spiritually and numerically because we want more people to know about this good and perfect gift. Lord, save many souls. We ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornet Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornetchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.