Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall do no work…For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20.8-11
Have you ever bought a used car? If so, one of the first things you inspected was the odometer. It’s not that mileage is the only indicator of the condition of a car…or even the most important indicator…but it is a good indicator isn’t it? The odometer tells more than simple mileage statistics. It also gives a general idea as to how hard the car’s been driven, how much wear and tear might be on the engine, etc. So, use the odometer as a gauge for measuring a car’s overall desirability.
May I suggest that the Lord’s Day functions much the same as an odometer does for a car-buyer? Sunday is a gauge of sorts—measuring the sincerity of our Christian conviction. Consider:
1. God gave us the Lord’s Day for our physical and emotional well-being. But how do we show that we believe that God knows best? And how do we demonstrate thankfulness for God’s goodness to us? Largely by delighting in the day.
2. God gave us the Day as a testimony to a lost and dying world. Sunday is meant to show our friends and neighbors that God is important enough for us to set aside a whole day, holy to Him. And how do we give the testimony? By delighting in the Day.
3. The Lord’s Day comes to us as a command. Christian observance of the Lord’s Day stems from the belief that the 4th commandment (like the other nine) has abiding significance and relevance for New Testament believers. And how can we show our respect for God’s commandment? Delight in the Day!
4. The Lord’s Day is given as a day for worship and learning. Sunday is the main day when we are encouraged, challenged, and called to believe in God’s Son. Without Sunday and its worship, all of us would be far less spiritually mature…and many of us may never have heard the gospel! Shouldn’t we praise God for Sunday, then? Of course. And one way we do so is by continuing to observe and delight in the day!
Make no mistake—The Lord’s Day is not the only indicator of our Christian commitment. It is not even the most important indicator. But it does say a lot about our Christianity. It reveals the depths of our faith, gratefulness, obedience, and delight in God! How is your gauge reading?
Have you ever bought a used car? If so, one of the first things you inspected was the odometer. It’s not that mileage is the only indicator of the condition of a car…or even the most important indicator…but it is a good indicator isn’t it? The odometer tells more than simple mileage statistics. It also gives a general idea as to how hard the car’s been driven, how much wear and tear might be on the engine, etc. So, use the odometer as a gauge for measuring a car’s overall desirability.
May I suggest that the Lord’s Day functions much the same as an odometer does for a car-buyer? Sunday is a gauge of sorts—measuring the sincerity of our Christian conviction. Consider:
1. God gave us the Lord’s Day for our physical and emotional well-being. But how do we show that we believe that God knows best? And how do we demonstrate thankfulness for God’s goodness to us? Largely by delighting in the day.
2. God gave us the Day as a testimony to a lost and dying world. Sunday is meant to show our friends and neighbors that God is important enough for us to set aside a whole day, holy to Him. And how do we give the testimony? By delighting in the Day.
3. The Lord’s Day comes to us as a command. Christian observance of the Lord’s Day stems from the belief that the 4th commandment (like the other nine) has abiding significance and relevance for New Testament believers. And how can we show our respect for God’s commandment? Delight in the Day!
4. The Lord’s Day is given as a day for worship and learning. Sunday is the main day when we are encouraged, challenged, and called to believe in God’s Son. Without Sunday and its worship, all of us would be far less spiritually mature…and many of us may never have heard the gospel! Shouldn’t we praise God for Sunday, then? Of course. And one way we do so is by continuing to observe and delight in the day!
Make no mistake—The Lord’s Day is not the only indicator of our Christian commitment. It is not even the most important indicator. But it does say a lot about our Christianity. It reveals the depths of our faith, gratefulness, obedience, and delight in God! How is your gauge reading?
Want to hear more? Be at PRBC this Lord's Day...or tune into the mp3 version (in the sidebar) next Monday afternoon!
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