The Lord’s Vineyard (Survey of Isaiah #8) (Troy)
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Christ ChurchHard Work & the Sabbath (Workbench of Practical Christianity)
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INTRODUCTION
Our elders recently decided that at the beginning of this academic year, we were going to have a three-week series of messages on practical Christian living, with different messages preached at King’s Cross, CCD, and here. These nine messages will then be bundled together for broader circulation. And so it is that we are taking a brief break from our series through Philippians.
The topic of our message this morning is going to be “hard work and the sabbath.” Because we are living in the time of the new covenant, we will begin with the Lord’s Day—in the old covenant, it was six days of labor followed by a day of rest. In the new covenant, the day of rest is foundational—it is on the first day, and the six days of labor follow after, and are built on the foundation of gospel rest.
THE TEXT
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Mark 2:27–28).
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: But the slothful shall be under tribute.” (Proverbs 12:24).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
The perennial sabbath snare is that as soon as we learn that the Fourth Commandment remains binding, we gravitate immediate to a list of things we are not permitted to do. This was the case with the old sabbath, and it has been a recurring temptations for sabbatarians under the new covenant. This is why Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, was routinely accused of sabbath breaking. How did He manage that? He knew that the day of rest was a gift to men, and that men were not to be sacrificed on the altar of sabbath strictness. The text from Mark 2 is from a context where the Lord’s disciples had been picking grain on the sabbath. But rest is grace. Rest is a gift.
What kind of work needs to be built on the foundation of gospel rest? This work needs to have two characteristics. It needs to be industrious and diligent (as in our text), and it needs to be skillful and competent (see Prov. 22:29).
A BRIEF SABBATH PRIMER
The fourth commandment is not the only commandment of the Ten that has somehow been retired, or put out to pasture. But the fact that it is among the moral commands of the Decalogue does not mean that it cannot be amended as redemptive history progresses. We see this when at the first giving of the Law, the ground of sabbath observance was the fact that God had created the world in six days and had rested on the seventh (Ex. 20:11). But in Deuteronomy, the text of the fourth commandment is altered, and the ground of observance was now given as the Exodus (Dt. 5:15).
In the new covenant, the ground of sabbath observance is altered again. The fact is that Christ entered His rest after the work of redemption was complete, in an analogous way to how God rested at the end of the creation week. He did this on the first day of the week, which is why we still have a sabbath, and it is why our sabbath is on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day.
“There remaineth therefore a rest [a sabbath] to the people of God. For he [Christ] that is entered into his rest [in His resurrection], he also hath ceased from his own works [of redemption], as God did from his [works of creation]” (Hebrews 4:9–10).
The Lord pointed to this new reality in numerous ways. In the old covenant, God had said numerous times that the seventh-day sabbath would last as long as the old creation did, which it did (Ex 31:16-17). But when God ushered in a new creation, what then? The sabbath was fulfilled and transformed. The Lord rose on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; John 20:1). He appeared to the disciples one week later (John 20:26). The Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost, fifty days later, also on a Sunday (Acts 2:1). The early Christians began gathering on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). We have been honoring the Lord’s Day in this way ever since (Rev. 1:10).
A WEEKLY CYCLE
We need to take note of what this does. Every Lord’ Day when we gather together, we are pouring a foundation. We want our worship to be Christ-glorifying, which is another way of saying that we want the foundation walls to be straight. When the foundation walls are straight, you are in a good position to have the (hard) work you do line up with that foundation. And what will that mean for your work?
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
What does work with “straight lines” look like? It should be diligent, industrious. We are not just commanded to rest for one, but also to work for six (Ex. 20:9). It should be competent, skillful, intelligent (Prov. 22:29). Your work should be honest, not conniving or devious (Prov. 20:10). Your work should be imitative. You should not be too conceited to learn from others (Prov. 13:20). Your work should be creative. You must not be afraid to try something new (Eph. 2:10).
A RITUAL OF REST
Christians ought to be the hardest working people around, but the work we do must not be tormented, or driven, or under the lash. Work is a true privilege, work is a grace. Work was granted to Adam before the Fall (Gen. 2:15), and was not the result of the Fall. Work became more onerous after the Fall (Gen 3:16-19), but that is quite different. The work itself is a grace. Christ came as the second Adam to begin the process of restoring Eden. That is the image we are given with Ezekiel’s Temple, and the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven. The work we now do we have been liberated and recreated to do.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8–10).
Confession of Sin (Workbench of Practical Christianity) (CCD)
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Fearing God & Honoring Parents (Workbench of Practical Christianity) (King’s Cross)
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INTRODUCTION
We live in a land that has no fear of God before their eyes, and right on schedule, neither do we honor our parents. If it is not going well for us in the land, this is one of the main things we must recover: the fifth commandment is the first command with a promise of blessing. The fear of the Lord and true justice go together (Ps. 19:9).
The Text: “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:32).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
In this brief case law, based on the Fifth Commandment, God instructs His people to fear Him, and to do so by acts of honor, respect, and reverence for fathers and mothers, the elderly, and all in authority.
FEAR OF THE LORD
The fear of God is obedient to God (Dt. 6:2). Abraham feared the Lord and was obedient to the command to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22:12). The midwives feared God and did not obey the king’s command to kill the baby boys (Ex. 1:17). Obadiah feared the Lord and hid the prophets from Ahab (1 Kgs. 18:3). The fear of God is merciful (Lev. 25:43, Dt. 25:18). The fear of God puts away idols and false worship (Josh. 24:14). The eye of the Lord is on them that fear Him (Ps. 33:18), and He hears the prayers and delivers those who fear Him, setting His angel round about him (Ps. 34:4, 7). God’s judgments and wrath teach His fear, but God is also merciful and forgives, so that He may be feared (Ps. 90:11, Ps. 103:11, 13, Ps. 130:4). In all of these ways, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7). Thus, by the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life (Prov. 22:4). The fear of the Lord is strong because it trusts in God’s justice and goodness (Is. 35:4). The fear of God is His covenant gift, so that we and our children will not depart from Him (Jer. 32:40-41).
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
The Shorter Catechism says that the fifth commandment “requireth the preserving the honor and performing the duties to every one, in their several places and relations, as superior, inferior, or equals” (WSC LXIV). Likewise, the Heidelberg says that the fifth commandment requires, “That I show all honor, love, and fidelity to my father and mother, and to all in authority over me; submit myself with due obedience to their good instruction and correction; and also bear patiently with their weaknesses and shortcomings, since it pleases God to govern us by their hand” (Q. 104).
Notice that the Bible teaches that we have different kinds of fathers and mothers: magistrates are fathers and mothers (Is. 49:23), the elderly are community fathers and mothers (Lev. 19:32), ministers of the gospel are fathers (1 Cor. 4:15), and then of course heads of households are fathers and mothers, including both biological parents as well as masters and by extension employers (Eph. 6:1, 5ff).
It is the fear of God that teaches us to honor those in authority, who must also rule in the fear of God (Ex. 18:21, Eph. 6:9), which means obedience to His written word (Dt. 17:19). The fear of God establishes true authority and its limits.
GENERATIONAL CURSES
In the Second Commandment, idolatry is prohibited with the warning that God is jealous, “visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Ex. 20:5-6). We know from elsewhere that God does not automatically hold children guilty for the sins of their parents (Ez. 18:20), so this means that the curse of generational sin is simply that children tend to imitate the sins of their parents and become guilty that way. And frequently it happens through generational animosity and resentment.
This is why our Old Testament ends with the promise of God turning the heart of fathers to children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest He come and strike the earth with a curse (Mal. 4:6). Jesus came to fulfill this prophecy (Lk. 1:17), and the central way He does this is by providing forgiveness for the sins of parents and children. Sins extend for three and four generations, but God’s mercy is available and extends to thousands of generations (Ex. 20:6).
APPLICATIONS
First, get your heart right toward your parents. This may require you to get your heart right with God first. Turning your heart toward you parents means repenting of all your bitterness and resentment before God and them. Having forgiveness for them is a decision and a promise, not a feeling. If you are still under your parents’ authority, you must obey them cheerfully.
Second, if things have been particularly rocky, strained, or distant, do everything you can to make it clear that your heart is turned toward them. You are open to a better relationship. And do that first by communicating love and respect for them. Despite major failures or flaws there is almost always something to admire or be grateful for.
Third, the fear of God teaches us not to fear man, since the fear of man is a snare (Prov. 29:25). This includes fearing your parents. You are to honor them but not fear them, and this means that your honor is to be governed by God’s Word (just like their authority), not by whims, feelings, or unbiblical demands. When a man leaves and marries, a new household is formed, and those responsibilities must be honored as well. Honor is thoughtful and strategic about visits, vacations, time spent together, and tries to anticipate and mitigate challenges.
Finally, commit yourself to honoring parents and fearing God in word and deed. Sometimes this means covering the sins/nakedness of your fathers, bearing with their weaknesses patiently, remembering their frame (Gen. 9:23, Ps. 103:14). Fear God and reject all mockery and disdain of parents; remember that there is rich gospel blessing in this work.
To Know War (Judges #3) (CCD)
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