Preacher’s Pulpit by Dr. Joe Tims
Ten Commandments #4: Never on Sunday!
Exodus 20:8
INTRODUCTION
One of the key words in the fourth commandment is “remember.”
As most of us know in our everyday life we are very forgetful.
We forget opportunities and responsibilities.
We forget the VOWS we have made.
We forget names and faces. We forget our friends and even sometimes our own families.
In some instances forgetfulness is deliberate, but in most cases it is due to our preoccupation with other matters.
The Fourth Commandment “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” deals with the problem man has in forgetting who God is and what kind of relationship a person is to maintain with Him.
I. REMEMBER, THE SABBATH IS GOD’S GIFT TO MAN
(Mark 2:27) “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.”
A. The Sabbath belongs to God, and yet it was made FOR man.
B. The Sabbath is not for the benefit of God, but for man.
C. The Sabbath is like all the other nine commandments; it is a must to live the abundant life Jesus promised in (John 10:10).
D. The Sabbath when broken will leave you suffering the loss of the blessings of God.
II. REMEMBER, GOD GAVE THE SABBATH AS A DAY OF REST FOR MAN
(Exo 31:17) “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He RESTED and was REFRESHED.”
A. Man was created to be a worker.
B. But, in the plan of God for man he is not to WORK all of the time.
C. Man needs to be recharged:
1. Spiritually.
2. Emotionally.
3. Physically.
D. The Bible commands that man be: RESTED AND REFRESHED
III. REMEMBER, GOD GAVE THE SABBATH AS A DAY OF WORSHIP
(Isa 58:13, 14) “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day: and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable: and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine on own words. (14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
A. Most folks think of Sunday as the day they don’t have to go to work.
B. When the truth of the matter is: Sunday is one of the most important days in the life of a Christian.
C. The Church changed the SABBATH to SUNDAY because of the following reasons:
1. Jesus appeared five times after His Resurrection on the first day of the week: Sunday.
2. The Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost – first day of the week: Sunday.
3. The Lord’s Supper was observed on the First day of the week: Sunday (Acts 20:7).
4. Paul told the church to brings their tithes and offerings upon the first day of the week: Sunday (I Cor 16:2).
5. John was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day: Sunday (Rev 1:10).
D. A secularized SABBATH (SUNDAY) will produce a materialistic society!
E. The Sabbath or Sunday gives us an opportunity to be “Still, and know that God is God…” (Psa 46:10).
F. Man must have in order to live the abundant life:
1. Thoughtful meditation.
2. Heart in tune with God.
3. Spiritual cleansing of heart.
4. Public worship and service.
G. You have to have a place of worship and service in order to please God (Heb 10:25, 26).
CONCLUSION
Faithful worship on Sunday is to be a constant reminder of our Lord’s victory over Sin and Death for us. Consistent regular faithful worship of the Lord on Sunday is much more likely to transform you in your daily living the other six days.