Well last week we were looking
at the text which tells us Romans 10 4 that Christ is the end of
the law for righteousness to everyone that believes and I
want to move on this week to look at the Sabbath because it's
those who say no no that's not the case the law remains and
it is the believers rule of life The main way in which they seek
to enforce it is through making Sunday the Sabbath, as they call
it, in Christian form. Now, first of all, I have to
say, anybody listening to this, if you look up Don Faulkner's
notes online, you will probably say, oh, we got a lot of that
from Don Faulkner's notes. I readily admit it. I've been
very busy with work this week, and I had to make use of what
was available. And I'm extremely grateful for the fact that those
resources are made available to us. And another thing I want
to say, right at the very start, just so that there's no doubt.
Today's Sunday, and we are meeting here. We've had our Bible class,
and now we're having our service, as we always do. Anything that
I'm going to say about Sunday and the Sabbath day doesn't in
any way undermine the fact that the worship of God together,
privately but especially together, is the most important thing that
we can engage in. To worship the living God, to
know the living God. We meet together. Why do we meet
now? Not because of any legal Sabbath requirements, but because
it's just the most convenient time in our society. Even in
our days of Sunday trading and all of these things this time
on a Sunday morning is still the time with travelling and
work and everything else when we mostly, most of us, have the
freedom and the liberty to gather together. So don't think for
one minute that anything I say about the Sabbath day is seeking
to undermine what is so important, the public worship of God. And
the other thing that I must say is that in no way, in saying
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness and that Sunday
is not the Sabbath day and we must keep a Sabbath day, in saying
that I'm not in the slightest advocating antinomianism, lawlessness. Antinomianism is evil. It's a
vile thing. It's that which says because
Christ has redeemed his people from the curse of the law and
all our sins are covered my sin not in part but the whole therefore
I can do what I want and I can live an adulterous life I can
live a dishonest a deceitful life I can live a violent life
I can live exactly as I want exploiting others because Christ
is that is that is a vile vile concept it's got nothing to do
with what we're talking about God's people seek to live as
Christ leads and as Christ teaches and bear the fruit of his spirit
so I hope that's clear right from the start. But the legalist's
main practical weapon is Sabbatarianism. When we had trouble many years
ago in a legalistic church we had trouble and were effectively
kicked out not because we were deceitful dishonest people not
because we were riotous people well some members of the family
might have been a bit more riotous than others at various times
but not because we were a riotous family not because of any of
those things we weren't immoral in our behavior in any way whatsoever
there was nothing that they could point to to say that this was
not in line with the word of God not in the slightest but
it was this we wouldn't say that Sunday was the Sabbath in its
Christian form. That's what they say. Sunday
is the Sabbath in its Christian form. Let me read from the 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith, which is very much based on the
Presbyterian Westminster Confession of Faith. There had been a 1644,
1646 Baptist confession which is a very, I've got a copy in
the other room, a very simple little straightforward statement
of faith which I have no trouble with at all. But look. Sorry. Ah, there it is. As it
is a law of nature applicable to all that a proportion of time
determined by God should be allocated for the worship of God, so, by
His word, He has particularly appointed one day in seven to
be kept as a holy Sabbath to Himself. The commandment to this
effect is positive, moral, and of perpetual application. It
is binding upon all men in all ages. From the beginning of the
world to the resurrection of Christ, the Sabbath was the last
day of the week, but when Christ's resurrection took place it was
changed to the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's
Day. It is to be continued to the
world's end as the Christian Sabbath, the observance of the
seventh day being abolished. Men keep the Sabbath holy to
the Lord when, having duly prepared their hearts, and settled their
mundane affairs beforehand, for the sake of the Lord's command
they set aside all works, words, and thoughts that pertain to
their worldly employment and recreations, and devote the whole
of the Lord's day to the public and private exercises of God's
worship, and to duties of necessity and mercy. I think you're pretty
clear if you heard that, that is a very strict legal Sabbath
that they're trying to apply. And let's be in no doubt, there
are many men in the past, great preachers, who didn't seem on
the surface to have any issue with going along with that. But
we don't believe men for the man's sake, it's the Word of
God that we believe. What does the Word of God say? This is the important thing We
don't look back and say, oh but so-and-so said. If we did that
we'd believe Catholic doctrine, wouldn't we? Because the weight
of history and tradition is very strongly with them. We'd believe
all sorts. Just because strength in numbers
and people that have been respected, humanly speaking, in the past
have said it doesn't mean that we believe it and we must go
along with it. We look at the word. Do you know why the Bereans
in the Acts of the Apostles were noble? The noble Bereans When
Paul preached and Silas preached they took the Scriptures and
went and checked and compared to see whether the things they'd
heard were so. This is what we must do. We don't
bow to this at all. We don't. It's okay to have something
like this if you want but it is not the Word of God, we don't
bow to it, we don't take it as our rule, absolutely not. The
Scriptures is our doctrine and that's what we look to. What
does God's Word say? Now, this is what God's Word
says. we're going to be focusing in Hebrews chapter four because
the title is the Sabbath that remains the Sabbath that remains
it's in verse nine there remaineth therefore a rest a keeping of
Sabbath to the people of God and this is the question I've
said that Sunday isn't the Sabbath but that says there remains a
Sabbath keeping to the people of God that's what we're going
to look at what is the Sabbath then? Well the Sabbath in the
Old Testament law it was introduced in the law of Moses in Exodus
31 verse 13 God says to Moses, Speak thou also unto the children
of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep, for it
is a sign between me and you throughout your generations.
A sign, it is a sign. Why should you keep the sabbaths?
It is a sign between me, God, and you, his people, throughout
your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord that
doth sanctify you. God sanctifies his people. God
sanctifies his people. You know? justification is God's
work, sanctification is our work that's what J.C. Ryle wrote in
his book Holiness, not true it isn't true, the word of God says
this I the Lord do sanctify you, God sanctifies his people God
sets his people apart in holiness and makes his people holy before
the law of Moses came although God rested from his works on
the seventh day of creation in Genesis and although people like
the writers of this confession try to make out that the Sabbath
is a perpetual from the whole span of creation a perpetual
ordinance do you know that we don't ever read anywhere of Adam
of Seth of Enoch who walked with God and was taken a man who walked,
we don't ever read of them keeping the Sabbath day It's true, you
know. He's shocked, surely. No. Go and look for it. We don't
ever read of them. We don't read of Abraham ever
keeping a Sabbath day. Did you know that? That's true.
We don't ever read of Abraham keeping a Sabbath day. We don't
ever read of it up until the Law of Moses was given. There.
keep my Sabbath. Remember the Sabbath day to keep
it holy. You shall keep it holy. But we don't read of people keeping
that Sabbath day until the Law of Moses came. So it's part of
the Law of Moses. And the Law of Moses is a carnal,
a fleshly, a physical, a tangible, outward sign of the Gospel of
Grace. It's pictures, in all of those
temple sacrifices, the temple itself, the altar, the holy of
holies, the animal sacrifices, the shed blood, all of those
things are all pictures and types and signs and so it is with the
Sabbath. It's a sign. There was the rite
of circumcision. which was a sign Old Testament
Sabbath keeping is like circumcision now circumcision of course was
given to Abraham it was given to him and nobody before him
but it was given to him as a sign but the Passover came when the
law was given as they came out of Egypt as the law was given
the Passover was given and the Passover was a sign it was a
sign of that which was to come it was a sign in symbol in vivid
symbol of that which was accomplished by Christ and so it is with Sabbath
keeping and the Sabbath day and in the same way that circumcision
is finished circumcision as a right to male children born the eighth
day as Paul says he was a born a Jew and circumcised the eighth
day of the stock of Benjamin as a right of the Old Testament
mosaic law it's finished now it's finished it may happen for
medical reasons and such like but it's finished as a right
of religious law the Passover does anybody can anybody in any
civilized society today go and grab hold of a sheep and keep
it for fourteen days and then kill it and paint the blood on
the door, no of course not we don't, it's finished, why is
it finished? because it's fulfilled Christ has fulfilled it Christ
has fulfilled it and in exactly the same way The Old Testament
Sabbath law, the Old Testament Sabbath law is finished. Do you
know what the Old Testament Sabbath law involved? Number one, it
was on a Saturday, it was the seventh day of the week. Never
do we read anywhere about it becoming the first day of the
week, I'll say more about that later. Secondly, the instructions
regarding it were absolutely stripped. There was to be no
work at all. And so, like I said last week,
we've got our fridge which has got its Sabbath mode, but I'm
afraid its compressor keeps going. Its lights might not come on,
but its compressor keeps going, keeping the food cold when it's
in Sabbath mode. It's only partially keeping the
law, and if you don't completely keep it, that's no good. You
know, somebody's doing some works if there's some lights on, so
you mustn't put lights on your fridge on the Sabbath day. I
know we smile about it and it is absolutely ridiculous but
it was no work. Do you know it says, I forget
where, but in one of the books of Moses which specifies this
law that the man that goes out and it's a cold day and he picks
up some sticks to light a fire to get warm or to bake some bread,
it's not unreasonable is it? It was work. Do you know what
you were to do with that man? stone him to death. Do you want
to keep a Sabbath as the law which is supposed to be the believer's
rule of life? Do you want to keep a Sabbath?
You find anybody doing any work, you're meant to gang together
with others and stone them to death. Yeah? You who desire to
be under the law, says Paul to the Galatians, do you not hear
the law? Don't you hear what it clearly
says about food? You know the manna was given
from heaven. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, when twice as much was given. Why? Because no gathering
of manna was to happen on the Saturday, the Sabbath day. And
if they tried to do double, and keep it, it only worked for the
Sabbath day, the rest of the time it got maggots in it and
went off and was smelly and horrible. No, the Sabbath was a picture
of no work, an end of your work, just as God finished his works
and rested at the end of creation, so this was a picture of resting
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, The New Testament strictly
forbids those Old Testament ordinances. They're not a matter of indifference,
it strictly forbids them. If you do, do you know what Paul
says to the Galatians about some of this? In Galatians chapter
5, verse 2, behold I, Paul, say unto you that if ye be circumcised,
or we could say keep the Passover, or keep the Sabbath day, Christ
shall profit you nothing. I testify again to every man
that is circumcised, you come under one bit of the law, you
go off adulterously back into a relationship with the law,
then you're a debtor to the whole law in your own strength. Christ
is become of no effect unto you. These are serious words, aren't
they? Boy, we can't take this lightly and say that these are
secondary matters of indifference that shouldn't really divide
us. These are absolutely fundamental. Do you know who fell out over
this? Paul and Peter. The Apostle Peter
was to be blamed. Because he flew in the face of
this concept of the gospel. Christ is become of no effect
unto you. Whosoever of you are justified
by the law, ye are fallen from grace. We need to be careful
with these things. We need to be careful with trying
to teach anybody that there is anything that they do that adds
anything to their standing with God. The Sabbath is finished. The New Testament forbids it,
absolutely. You see, you may be not convinced
just yet. Well, you need to learn the Gospel. Circumcision is forbidden,
as we've seen. The Passover is also forbidden. Why? I mean, clearly it doesn't
happen. Not even Jews keep the Passover
in terms of killing sheep and goats, etc. They're not allowed
to by the laws of the land. It just doesn't happen. The temple
sacrifices haven't happened since the temple was destroyed at God's
behest in A.D. 70 by the Romans. No. Christ
our Passover, 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7, Christ our Passover
has been sacrificed for us. We don't sacrifice types and
pictures anymore because he has fulfilled it. To keep it the
Old Testament Passover, now that Christ has fulfilled it, seeking
to please God is to deny the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice
at Calvary. you know if we all said right
we'd better go and find a sheet and set up an altar down there
and sacrifice it and re-enact the Old Testament part, do you
know what we'd be denying we wouldn't be obeying the law we'd
be denying the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ and that's
why we mustn't do it and exactly the same applies to the Sabbath
Keeping it is exactly the same. We'd be trying to make ourselves
holy by the things that we do or don't do according to a set
of rules and regulations. It's the Lord that sanctifies
you, not you yourselves. Paul tells the Colossians, it's
just an outward show in will-worship, just in the flesh. It's just
an outward thing. All of these religious things
that people try to do to make themselves appear holier, you
know, their lents and their wearing of certain clothes and all this
sort of stuff, it says it's just will-worship, humility, neglecting
of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
And look, it's even more explicit than that. Colossians 2 verse
16, let no man therefore judge you in meat. Oh, you're not allowed
to eat that because, you know, pork is an unclean meat to you
now. Don't let any man judge you.
We can have pork casseroles or chops if you want to. It's up
to you. It's just a matter of personal
taste and conscience. It's entirely up to you. No,
don't let any man judge you in this. Or in drink. Oh, drinking
wine. I remember when in the Baptist
Union in Lancaster, gosh, You could commit armed robbery, and
you'd be in less fear of eternal damnation than letting a sip
of wine pass your lips. It was absolutely the worst thing
you could ever do. Or smoking. You smoke a cigarette,
or drink some beer, and that was it. You were beyond the pale. You were outside of Christ. You were lost. No, don't let
anybody judge you. No, of course. Of course. Think
of this. you know, all things in moderation
all things with respect to others But don't let anybody judge you
as to whether something is inherently of itself. All things are good,
says Paul, in and of themselves. I'm convinced of the Lord, he
says. There's nothing that's wrong in and of itself. It's
the context and your conscience. But don't let any man judge you
in respect of an holy day. Oh, Sunday's the holiest day
of the week. No. No day is any more holy than
any other. Or of the new moon. Let's say we lived in a culture
where Sunday was a normal working day. And in their culture Friday
was the day when most business stopped. As a group of Christians
we'd probably get together on a Friday and that would be absolutely
fine. It's not that Friday would be
the Sabbath in its Christian form because there is no such
thing apart from the one that remains that we'll see shortly.
So, and then he goes on to say, or a new moon, or of the Sabbath
days, because why? They're just a shadow, a picture,
an image of things to come. But the body, the reality, the
substance, is of Christ. The reality of it is Christ.
Sabbath-keeping is forbidden. True believers, as we saw last
week, are free from the law. We're not married to it. Paul
says in Romans 7 verse 4, when Christ died on the cross, you
died to the law. Therefore that marriage of the
flesh for the law for the believer is ended and you're married to
another which is Christ Romans 10 verse 4 our text last week
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness don't let anybody
judge you in these things but as I've said the New Testament
does speak of a Sabbath that remains. There remaineth therefore,
Hebrews 4 verse 9, a rest. And the word used there is a
keeping of the Sabbath. Everywhere else in chapters 3
and 4 it is used. It means a reposing, a lying
down, a ceasing from work, a rest in that respect. But in verse
9, look in your marginal reference, a keeping of a Sabbath. There
remaineth therefore a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of
God. This is what we want to know.
What is the Sabbath that remains? If that Old Testament legal Sabbath
has finished, what is the Sabbath that remains that we are to keep
as believers, whether it be Sunday or Friday or Tuesday or whenever
it might be? What is it? The Israelites perished
in the wilderness because of unbelief. They couldn't enter
into Canaan. They're entering into Canaan.
They're crossing the Jordan and entering into Canaan. was a picture
of salvation, it was a picture of God's salvation it was a picture
of living this life in this world with all of the problems all
around still of the flesh but nevertheless it was a picture
of salvation but many couldn't enter in because of unbelief
They didn't believe God and they perished in the wilderness. Look
at verses one down to nine. Let us therefore fear. He's already
talked about them not entering in because of unbelief. Verse
19 of chapter three. We see they could not enter in
because of unbelief. These Israelites. Let us therefore
fear. Lest a promise being left us
of entering into his rest. Believers have that promise.
They're going to heaven. Any of you should seem to come
short of it. for unto us was the gospel preached as well as
unto them it was preached to them in types and pictures but
the word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith
in them that heard it for we which have believed do enter
into rest that's what you do when you believe you enter into
rest Pilgrim, burden on his back, weighed down, struggling, comes
to the cross and in faith enters into the rest that is in Christ.
As he said, I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into
my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation
of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh
day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh day from all
his works. God's rest at the end of creation is a picture
of this rest Just as God rested at the end of His work of creation,
and I mean the whole Godhead, so Christ rested when He finished
His work. So verse five then, and in this
place again, if they shall enter into my rest, seeing therefore
it remaineth that some must enter in. There are some who must enter
in. There were many that didn't because
of unbelief, but some must enter in. Who is it that must enter
in? It's the elect of God. God has his elect who must enter
in. And they to whom it was first
preached entered not in because of unbelief. many of them didn't
because of unbelief again he limiteth a certain day saying
in David today after so long a time as it is said today if
you will hear his voice harden not your hearts for if you see
the word Jesus there in verse eight and you're thinking but
Jesus has given his people rest no it's a different Jesus look
look in the marginal reference the Jesus there is just the Greek
name Joshua Joshua, Savior. For if Joshua had given them
rest, if Joshua had got them into that promised land, to the
repose, to the lying down, to the ceasing of work, to get there,
then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? If that
was the culmination, it wouldn't have been talking about another
day. But there is another day, you see? the typical rest that
Joshua obtained for the people in entering into Canaan and it
was very short-lived if you read the book of Joshua and the following
history books but it was, it was a time of peace and conquest
and the land was theirs that rest that Joshua obtained in
Canaan wasn't the rest that was purchased for God's elect that's
the true rest the reality rest that is in Christ and Him alone
so verses 9 to 11 then remaineth therefore a keeping of the Sabbath
to the people of God for he that is entered into his rest he also
hath ceased from his own works as God did from his let us labor
therefore to enter into that rest lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief what does this Sabbath keeping
that remains mean? I've got three points and we'll
cover them quickly firstly The Sabbath keeping that remains
is Christ's Sabbath because he now is resting from his work
of salvation, his work is finished. Secondly, every believer truly
who's believed on the Lord Jesus Christ keeps the Sabbath by faith
in Christ. That's the Sabbath we keep. And
thirdly, we must labour. Oh, he's saying aren't I saying
that we must stop working? Yes, working for justification
and credibility with God and acceptance with God, yes we don't
work for that, we have that in Christ but striving that we don't
go the same way of unbelief of those Israelites who didn't enter
in because of unbelief that we believe God, that we trust Him
that we persevere to the end and enter that eternal Sabbath
which is the rest of heavenly glory So first of all, Christ
is celebrating, if I can put it that way, the Sabbath now. The Sabbath of his rest. He's
entered his glorious rest because his work is finished. Isaiah
chapter 11. We saw this, I don't know how
many moons ago, but quite a long time ago. Chapter 11 and verse
10. And in that day, There shall
be a root of Jesse. You know that's Christ. He's
the root of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David,
and from David came the Lord Jesus Christ, which shall stand
for an ensign of the people. He's the Lord Jehovah Nissi,
an ensign, the banner. To it shall the Gentiles seek,
oh Gentiles are going to come to him, and this, and his rest
shall be glorious, or margin, make use of your marginal references
if you've got one, his rest shall be glorious or his rest shall
be his glory. Christ's in a glorious rest in
heaven now, if by faith You can see him, he's seated in the rest
of the finished work. He has finished his work. Look
at Hebrews chapter 10 with me, verse 11. Hebrews 10.11, every priest in
the Old Testament order stands daily ministering and offering
often times the same sacrifices which can never take away sins
but this man Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for
sins forever sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool for by one
offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. He's
finished his work. It's done. There's no continual
repeat of the same Mosaic Law order, which was just a picture.
He's finished it. God rested because his creation
was finished. And so Christ rests because he
has made all things new for his people in his kingdom. Read 2
Corinthians. We won't for the sake of time.
Chapter 5, 17 to 21. Look at Matthew chapter 28. Matthew's Gospel chapter 28 which is after the crucifixion on the first day of the week and verse 1 Matthew chapter 28
verse 1 in the end of the Sabbath As it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
to see the sepulcher. So it's the end of Saturday night
and it's dawning towards six o'clock in the morning on Sunday
which was when the Jewish day started, six a.m. was the start
of the Jewish day. It began to dawn towards the
first day of the week but actually in the original it doesn't say
that. In the original it says in the end of the Sabbath as
it began to dawn toward the Sabbath in the end of the Sabbath as
it began to dawn toward the Sabbath What does that mean? I believe
it means this and this alone. In the end of the Old Testament
Sabbath, pictured by the Saturday that had just finished, as it
began to dawn to the new Sabbath, the new Sabbath of grace, you
see the old Sabbath of the law ended when Christ died and the
new Sabbath of grace began when Christ rose from the dead on
the first day of the week. That doesn't make the first day
of the week the Sabbath day for us in its Christian form, it
just shows that that old regime has finished and the new Sabbath
of grace has become in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has finished
his work. He's finished his work of righteousness,
which he had to earn for his people. He's finished his work
of redemption, to buy his people back from the curse of the law.
John 17, 4, he prays to his father, I have finished the work which
you gave me to do. On the cross, chapter 19, verse
30 of John, he cried out, it is finished. The work of salvation,
the work of righteousness and redemption is finished. His people's
salvation is certain. Hebrews 9 and verse 12, neither
by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us it's finished he's done it it was finished before the
foundation of the world in the mind and the eternal purposes
of God for he is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world
you read in Romans 8 verses 29 and 30 about whom he called and
whom he predestined and them he also justified and them he
also glorified and it's all written in the past tense as if it's
already done it's a deal that's done But he finished it in time. He finished it in time when he
became a man and went to the cross. In Hebrews chapter 6 and
verse 20, whither the forerunner is for us entered. He's entered
into his rest as the forerunner of his people. Who? Even Jesus. made an high priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. He's gone in before us as the
forerunner. There's no more work to be done.
Christ is in his eternal Sabbath rest, for the work of redemption
and salvation is absolutely completed. And as it was pictured by the
Old Testament Sabbath days, the Saturdays, when all work was
to cease, we cease working when we truly trust Christ for everything. Nothing in my hand I bring. There
were more than just the Saturdays in the Sabbaths of the Old Testament,
there was the seven year Sabbath. Every seventh year the land had
a rest, it was the year of release, it was the picture of that which
Christ has accomplished where he restores his new creation
when he comes again behold he makes all things new and the
old earth and heaven pass away and there's a new heaven and
a new earth that's what that seventh year pictured there's
the jubilee year, seven of those seven year sabbaths is forty
nine years and then the fiftieth year was the year of jubilee
when the debts were discharged when the mortgages were cancelled
when everything that had been lost was restored have you lost
something? I certainly have I have lost
as a a man made in the image of God I have lost that perfect
sinless state of communion with God and that's going to be restored
in eternity that's eternal glory pictured by that jubilee year
secondly believers keep the Sabbath by faith Christ is keeping the
Sabbath because he's finished his work but you and I if we're
believers we keep the Sabbath not as a Sabbatarian Christian
Sunday no We keep the Sabbath by faith because the believer's
life is a perpetual Sabbath keeping, a perpetual rest, a perpetual
rest in Christ. We have imperfect belief for
sure, but it's real. we're ever looking as the writer
to the Hebrews says in chapter twelve looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith coming to Christ we come to Christ
by faith Matthew 11 verse 28 one of the best known verses
in the scripture Jesus said come unto me all you that labor and
are heavy laden with the burden of your own sins and the labor
to try and put the slate you know clean the slate and make
a good record for yourself you labor and you're heavy laden
and you can never succeed come unto me he says all you that
labor and are heavy laden and I will give you sabbath rest
I will give you sabbath rest You know the hymn, I don't know
if it's in the Gadsby selection, I heard the voice of Jesus say,
come unto me and rest. Lay down, thou weary one, lay
down thy head upon my breast. I came to Jesus as I was, weary
and worn and sad with sin. I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad. Come unto me and rest. He gives
the rest of pardon, that your sins are forgiven. Why are they
forgiven? Because he's taken them away, and he's paid for
them, yours specifically. You've got the rest of reconciliation,
that where you were an enemy of God, you're now the friend
of God. You have received the adoption
of children, you're in the family of God. You've received the rest
of security, for he says, nobody can pluck you from my Father's
hand. You're secure for all eternity. nothing can happen to take you
out of his hand you've got the rest of particular special providence
because he causes all things to work together whether they
be good or bad in the flesh as it may seem yet for your eternal
good And he says this, I will give you rest, take my yoke upon
you, in the next two verses, take that yoke of burden, you
know it's the picture is of the oxen pulling the plough and there's
a yoke that keeps them together and he says join in that yoke
with me and learn of me and you shall find rest. See his burden
is easy, his yoke is easy, his burden is light. It's not a great
big heavy crushing burden. His burden is light and you shall
find rest for your souls and that rest is a perpetual consecration
to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Is that not the believer's experience? It should be. Keeping the Sabbath
rest perpetually. Sabbath keeping for the Christian,
listen, Listen to this, Sabbath-keeping for the Christian is not living
in religious austerity one day of the week. It's not being great
fans of Formula One racing and, you know, thrashing your back
and wearing a horsehair shirt and avoiding doing that which
you want to do on one day of the week because you think God
will think better of you as a result of it. Of course it isn't. It's
not living in religious austerity one day a week. But it is this,
It is bowing to Christ's dominion. It is learning from Him what
to believe. Learning from Him how to live. He is our law. The royal law
is Christ. Learning from Him how to live.
Learning from Him what to do. Learning from Him how to honour
God. And how do we do it? By faith,
not by works. we must stop working to be accepted
by God. Believers keep this Sabbath that
remains by faith not by religious austerity on one day of the week
that somebody has arbitrarily changed from Saturday to Sunday
and somebody has suddenly said well okay it is alright to put
the lights on on your fridge and it is alright to pick up
sticks and it is alright to cook your food and it is alright to
watch the Formula One racing if your particularly heart's
bleeding to do it it's by faith that we keep the
Sabbath. Number three we must labour to
enter that eternal rest you know the catholic masses with their
requiem eternam you know their eternal rest and all that sort
of thing all in the latin words and the music and there's some
beautiful music i mean to me i love the music to me it's the
same as meat sacrifice to idols the fact that other people bow
down to it and do funny things doesn't stop me from appreciating
the music i absolutely love the music of foray's requiem I don't
believe a thing about the religion that's behind it, I just like
the music. Just like I might like some meat. The idea was
that in pagan societies they would sacrifice meat to idols
and then some of it would be sold in the market. And some
Christians were saying, I ought not to eat that. And Paul's saying,
well if it doesn't trouble your conscience, it's meat. And if
it's good meat, just eat it and take it, especially if you can
get a bargain with it. No. So we must labour to enter the
rest that remains. There remains a rest, a Sabbath
keeping to the people of God and thirdly it's this eternal
rest and this eternal rest is an eternal remembrance of redemption. What will we think of? I don't
know what it'll be like, we don't know what it'll be like. All
we know is that when we see him we shall be like him for we shall
see him as he is. It doesn't yet appear what we
shall be like but there will be an eternal remembrance of
redemption. We know that because the veil
of eternity is drawn aside in Revelation and the multitudes
there are praising God for redemption. There will be an eternal perfect
consecration to Christ. You know this flesh with its
sin is so prone to wander and there will be an eternal rest. Verse 10 some have already entered
in. He that is entered into his rest
has also ceased from his own works. Our brethren that have
gone before who believe Christ, who are in heaven now, they've
entered that rest, that eternal rest. They've ceased from their
works, there's no more works for them to do. They're in, they're
enjoying that eternal rest. Christ is the forerunner, but
all of his people will go with him. We saw that in Hebrews 6.20,
the forerunner, Jesus, is entered before us, but also his people
will go. And that rest is entered into
by faith, here and now, but in heavenly glory. Unbelief prevented
many of those Israelites from entering into Canaan. Unbelief
prevented them. They couldn't go in because of
unbelief. but those who have entered in now have ceased working
and there is a people who must enter so this is it let us labor
therefore let us strive to be among them let us strive to be
among that people that will go into heaven how should we do
this let's just read a few verses from the end from Philippians
chapter three Philippians chapter three and verse seven But what things were gained to
me, all the law-keeping, those I counted loss for Christ, yea
doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things and do count them but done that I may
win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law but that which is through the faith of
Christ it's not my believing that gives me righteousness it's
the faithful work of Christ that makes me righteous and I apprehend
it by faith the righteousness which is of God by faith, that
I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His
death, if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection
of the dead. But I am not there yet, he's saying, not as though
I had already attained. either were already perfect I'm
still in the flesh but I follow after I have a goal in mind I
have a target I have an ambition if that I may apprehend that
for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus apprehended him
on the Damascus road but he wants to apprehend that rest in glory
brethren I count not myself to have apprehended yet but this
one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind those
mosaic laws that I put so much weight upon, and reaching forth
to those things which are before, heavenly glory, I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. He's not working his way to glory.
but he's exercising faith and he's making sure he keeps looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith. The penalty for
not keeping the Sabbath, do you know what it is today? It's exactly
the same as it was. Not stoning by stones but eternal
death. If you do not keep the Sabbath
by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ then it's appointed unto
man to die once, and then the judgment, and it's a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. As Jesus said,
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath
of God abides on him. You must satisfy the whole law,
including Sabbath-keeping. You must pursue it all, that
holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. But you can
only do that by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, apprehended
by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, do we make then the
law void through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish
the law, even the law of Sabbath-keeping, which is not religious austerity
on a Sunday, but is a perpetual consecration by faith, looking
unto Jesus, looking forward to glory. Come unto me, he said,
and I will give you rest.