Sabbath Rest

Sunday Worship

8:45 AM SERVICE 10:00 AM Sunday School & Adult EdUCATION 11:00 AM SERVICE

by: Pastor Eibel

12/01/2022

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Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 


In ancient days, Rabbis would take two strings. One would be dark, and the other would be light.  And they would hold up those two strings at the time of sunset.  When the Rabbi was unable to determine the light string from the dark string, they would then declare that the Sabbath had begun.  And then, they would just reverse the process with regard to the sunrise.  


Exodus 20:8-11

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 


“Remember”... that word that says to pay attention.  The Sabbath day was to be a day that would be different.  It was the day of rest. It was a day of worship. It was a day determined by the rabbis looking at the strings. It was a day to be set apart for rest and worship.


 For six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.


As we look at Scripture, we see that all of the Ten Commandments are affirmed in the New Testament, with one exception. There's one commandment that is nullified in the New Testament. That's the third commandment… too remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  What's nullified is the law that we must worship on Saturday. 


Colossians 2:16-17

16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.


The sabbath was a foreshadowing of Christ… and the rest that we have in Jesus Christ.  After Jesus came, the command to worship on Saturday was nullified. We understand this more by going on to the very next verse.

17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.


Hebrews 4:9-10

So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; 10 for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.


You see, we cease from the labor of trying to earn our way to the good graces of God. There is no amount of works that we can do. And so we rest in the accomplished atonement through the Lord Jesus Christ. He has borne our sin. He has paid our sin debt. So we rest from the labor of trying to earn our way into salvation. 


The commandment to remember the Sabbath day… the commandment to keep it holy… the command to worship on Saturday…all of that was simply a foreshadowing of the rest that we have in the Lord Jesus. And so, when Jesus came, that which was just a foreshadowing is no longer needed.  


So we see in the New Testament that the third commandment is nullified.  We also see that the Christians very quickly started to worship on Sunday.  

Acts 20:7

On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread… 

The breaking of bread is the Lord's Supper. Very quickly then, the Christians in their freedom, settled on Sunday for the day to worship. That was a great choice, wasn't it.  The first day of creation was Sunday. Pentecost was on a Sunday. And of course our Lord rose from the tomb on a Sunday.  


Martin Luther wrote this in the large catechism.  “Since from ancient times, Sunday has been appointed for this purpose -worship. We should not change it.  In this way, a common order will prevail, and no one will create disorder by unnecessary innovation.” What Luther is doing here is reapplying the command  he correctly understands. We're no longer under the command to have to worship on a Saturday. So he reapplies that command. He writes in the small catechism that “we are not to neglect his Word and the preaching of it. But regard it as holy, and gladly here and learn it.” 


What a glorious word. We are given that glorious word of forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ… that through his shed blood our sins are forgiven. They've been cast as far as the East is from the West. The sacrifice for sin has been accepted.  The tomb is empty.  And so, as Christians we worship in freedom on Sundays.  What a glorious day!  A day of rest.  A day of worship.  A day where we hear anew God’s great Word for us; the gospel. Sunday. What a great, great day.


Let’s pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time in your Word.  Your Word is truth.  We give you thanks for your graciousness that you shower upon us, and for the worship that you bring forth from us. Bless us this day to your glory, and your praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


God bless you today! Encourage someone! 


Pastor Eibel

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Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 


In ancient days, Rabbis would take two strings. One would be dark, and the other would be light.  And they would hold up those two strings at the time of sunset.  When the Rabbi was unable to determine the light string from the dark string, they would then declare that the Sabbath had begun.  And then, they would just reverse the process with regard to the sunrise.  


Exodus 20:8-11

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 


“Remember”... that word that says to pay attention.  The Sabbath day was to be a day that would be different.  It was the day of rest. It was a day of worship. It was a day determined by the rabbis looking at the strings. It was a day to be set apart for rest and worship.


 For six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.


As we look at Scripture, we see that all of the Ten Commandments are affirmed in the New Testament, with one exception. There's one commandment that is nullified in the New Testament. That's the third commandment… too remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  What's nullified is the law that we must worship on Saturday. 


Colossians 2:16-17

16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.


The sabbath was a foreshadowing of Christ… and the rest that we have in Jesus Christ.  After Jesus came, the command to worship on Saturday was nullified. We understand this more by going on to the very next verse.

17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.


Hebrews 4:9-10

So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; 10 for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.


You see, we cease from the labor of trying to earn our way to the good graces of God. There is no amount of works that we can do. And so we rest in the accomplished atonement through the Lord Jesus Christ. He has borne our sin. He has paid our sin debt. So we rest from the labor of trying to earn our way into salvation. 


The commandment to remember the Sabbath day… the commandment to keep it holy… the command to worship on Saturday…all of that was simply a foreshadowing of the rest that we have in the Lord Jesus. And so, when Jesus came, that which was just a foreshadowing is no longer needed.  


So we see in the New Testament that the third commandment is nullified.  We also see that the Christians very quickly started to worship on Sunday.  

Acts 20:7

On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread… 

The breaking of bread is the Lord's Supper. Very quickly then, the Christians in their freedom, settled on Sunday for the day to worship. That was a great choice, wasn't it.  The first day of creation was Sunday. Pentecost was on a Sunday. And of course our Lord rose from the tomb on a Sunday.  


Martin Luther wrote this in the large catechism.  “Since from ancient times, Sunday has been appointed for this purpose -worship. We should not change it.  In this way, a common order will prevail, and no one will create disorder by unnecessary innovation.” What Luther is doing here is reapplying the command  he correctly understands. We're no longer under the command to have to worship on a Saturday. So he reapplies that command. He writes in the small catechism that “we are not to neglect his Word and the preaching of it. But regard it as holy, and gladly here and learn it.” 


What a glorious word. We are given that glorious word of forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ… that through his shed blood our sins are forgiven. They've been cast as far as the East is from the West. The sacrifice for sin has been accepted.  The tomb is empty.  And so, as Christians we worship in freedom on Sundays.  What a glorious day!  A day of rest.  A day of worship.  A day where we hear anew God’s great Word for us; the gospel. Sunday. What a great, great day.


Let’s pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time in your Word.  Your Word is truth.  We give you thanks for your graciousness that you shower upon us, and for the worship that you bring forth from us. Bless us this day to your glory, and your praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


God bless you today! Encourage someone! 


Pastor Eibel

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