in Exodus chapter 31. Exodus chapter 31. In this text, here in Exodus
31, the prophet Moses, speaking for God, recording the words
of our God, describes for us the purpose for which Sabbath
day observance was originally given. Now listen carefully before
we read this 13th verse. Sabbath keeping is not a matter
of indifference. Many would have us to believe
that it's really unimportant whether you observe a Sabbath
day or don't observe a Sabbath day. Others would have us to
believe that we must keep a literal Sabbath day or else we will suffer
dire consequences. Well, it is not a matter of indifference. Romans 14 is not dealing with
us keeping or not keeping a Sabbath day in this generation. Sabbath-keeping
is not one of those areas about which the scriptures give no
specific instruction. In fact, the instructions given
in the Word of God are abundant and crystal clear. like circumcision,
the Passover, and all other aspects of the ceremonial law of the
Old Testament, all those ordinances of carnal worship given in the
Old Testament, the legal Sabbath day, every legal Sabbath day,
was established by our God specifically to be a sign and picture, a type
of the grace and salvation that's found in Christ. Now this is
not a matter of speculation, this is exactly what God tells
us here in Exodus 31 verse 13. The Lord says, Speak thou unto
the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths you shall
keep. Now look at it, for it is a sign. That's all it ever was. It is
a sign. A sign between me and you, throughout
your generations. for this purpose, look at it
now, that you may know that I am the Lord which doth sanctify
you. I am the Lord who makes you holy. I am the Lord who distinguishes
you, sets you apart, and makes you holy. Because Sabbath-keeping
was a legal type of our salvation in Christ during the carnal ordinances
and the age of carnal ordinances, like the Passover and circumcision,
as well as all other aspects of the carnal ceremonial ordinances
of the Old Testament, once Christ came and fulfilled those things
of which those ordinances were just a sign, a type, and a picture. The ordinance has ceased forever. You understand that? The ordinance
being fulfilled is forever ceased. The ordinance being fulfilled,
we must no longer observe. The ordinance being fulfilled,
we must never again revert to it, but rather we look to Christ
who fulfilled it all. Now in the New Testament, We
are strictly and directly, explicitly forbidden to keep any of those
carnal ordinances. In fact, we are plainly told,
we're told in such terms that mistake is not even in any sense
understandable. We're told in such crystal clear
terms that no one can miss it except to deceive himself or
he has been deceived. We're told that those who attempt
to worship God on the grounds of legal ordinances are yet under
the curse of the law. They have not yet learned the
gospel. That is what the book says. Circumcision is forbidden
as an ordinance of divine worship. Anyone who is circumcised in
a matter of worship, anyone who is circumcised for spiritual
reasons, anyone who is circumcised for any religious purpose is
yet under the curse of God's law. Galatians 5 says so plainly. Passover observance is absolutely
forbidden to us. We do not observe a Passover.
We do not make any sacrifice to God to make atonement for
sin, to appease his wrath, to endear us to him, to make us
more dearly the odds of his favor, to make us more accepted before
him, to gain anything from him. If we do, if we do, then we have
denied that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, as 1 Corinthians
5, 7 says. We dare not revert to ceremonial
religion. To do so is to deny the gospel
altogether. In exactly the same way, those
who attempt to sanctify themselves by keeping a carnal Sabbath day,
who attempt to make themselves more holy, more accepted with
God, to make themselves nearer to God by keeping the Sabbath
day, by their actions, deny that Jesus Christ is enough in himself
to give us perfect acceptance with God perpetually. Now Paul
tells us in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 23 that such people
make an outward show of spirituality and wisdom, an outward show. Oh, children of God, always be
careful about doing things to be seen of men. So I want to show folks my Christianity,
my spirituality. There's a problem with that.
There's a problem with that. There's a real problem with that.
Show them Christ. I want folks to see Jesus in
me. They didn't see Jesus in Jesus. They're going to see him
in you. Not going to happen. Live righteously and godly and
soberly, but don't try to show folks anything by what you do.
Paul tells us that those who do so make an outward show of
spirituality, an outward show of religious wisdom. but it's
all will worship. Such pretenses of humility, such
outward shows of spirituality, is nothing but the gratifying
of the flesh. That's what he says. Colossians
2.23, read it for yourself. Not only that, the whole matter
of Sabbath keeping is strictly forbidden, specifically in Colossians
2. We've looked at this several
times in recent weeks, but come back to Colossians 2 and verse
16. I want you to see this. Since the Lord Jesus Christ,
by his death at Calvary, has blotted out the handwriting of
ordinances that was written against us, Colossians 2, 14 and 15,
since he has nailed God's broken law, the law which we have broken
from our first breath to now, since he has nailed it to the
cross and put away our sins, he alone is our savior. We rest in him. Look at it now,
Colossians 2, 16. I get, there's never a week,
there hasn't been a week to go by in 10 or 15 years, maybe more,
not a week, when I haven't even gotten a telephone call or a
letter or run into someone somewhere who says to me, well, what's
wrong with keeping the Sabbath? As long as we don't make it a
condition of salvation, but you do. That's the very problem. You do. In its essence, when
you do something, when you do something by which you hope to
make yourself righteous or by which you hope to make yourself
more righteous, you're doing it for salvation. That's as plain
as it can be. Look in Colossians 2.16. We're
strictly forbidden to do so. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day. Eat what you
want to, and drink what you want to, and pay no attention to the
religious nuts who say otherwise. That's exactly what Paul said.
Folks say, well, keep this day, keep that day. Paul says, pay
no attention to them. Holy days, the new moon, or Sabbath. Now look at it. In our text,
it reads, in our King James translation, the Sabbath days. But the text
reads the Sabbath. No matter whether you talk about
it in singular or in plural. No matter whether you talk about
it being on Saturday or Sunday, the Sabbath, which are a shadow,
just a shadow of things to come. But the body, the substance,
the reality is Christ. Now this is what I'm saying,
we do not keep any form of a legal, ceremonial, carnal Sabbath day
because it is here strictly and specifically forbidden of God. Is that what the text says? I
ask anybody here or anybody hearing what I say on this tape, I ask
anyone, show me what else this text can mean. What else can
it mean? Don't keep a Sabbath day. That's
what it means, Paul. Don't keep a Sabbath day. Don't
observe outward carnal ordinances that were put away when Christ
died as our substitute and made an end of the law. We do not
keep these things. A carnal Sabbath observance. All forms of carnal Sabbath observance
are here strictly forbidden on basis of the fact that in Christ,
all who believe on the Son of God are absolutely, totally,
in every sense of the word, without exception, F-R-E-E, free from
God's law. Totally free. Totally free. Oh,
you can't preach that, I wish you'd give me a chance. Totally
free, totally free. Yet in the New Testament, we
are told specifically of a Sabbath keeping that remains for the
people of God. And that's found in Hebrews chapter
4. Now I want to talk to you this evening about that Sabbath,
the Sabbath that remains. Our text will be verses 9, 10,
and 11, but let's back up a little bit and get a little background.
In verses 1 through 6, the apostle tells us that the children of
Israel perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief. They
could not enter into God's rest, that is, they could not enter
into the land of Canaan, which was the picture of that rest
which is ours in Christ, and that rest which shall be ours
forever. They could not enter in because
of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, the Holy
Spirit says, lest a promise being left us of entering into his
rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto
us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. 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, as he said. As 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 God spake in a certain place
of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest on the seventh
day from all his works. And in this place again, if they
shall enter into my rest. Now, though that unbelieving
generation perished in unbelief, the purpose of God was not frustrated. The purpose of God was not defeated,
and it cannot be defeated. There is yet an elect multitude
who must, who must, you see it? Who must enter into his rest. They shall enter into his rest
because God purposed it. Look at verse six. seeing therefore
it remaineth that some must any Somebody's going to enter into
that rest. It was true of the tithe. Though the children of
Israel perished into wilderness, Joshua and Caleb and all who
were under 20 years old when they left Egypt entered into
the land of rest. And so it is today there is a
remnant according to the election of grace who must enter into
rest. The rest of faith in Christ Jesus
and the rest of everlasting glory hereafter. Now that typical rest,
which was given by Joshua in the land of Canaan, was not the
rest purposed and purchased by God for his elect. It was only
typical of the rest we're talking about now, the rest of faith
in Christ Jesus. Look in verse 7. Again, he limiteth
a certain day, saying in David today, after so long a time,
400 years have passed now. After so long a time, as it is
said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
For if Jesus, the word Jesus here is the proper translation,
we're talking about Joshua, who was the type of Christ Jesus
the Lord. If Joshua had given them rest, if he had really given
them rest, go back and read the book of Joshua and see if it
talks about rest. They entered in, but it was a struggle from
day one. It was a constant struggle, stayed
that way throughout their history, because this was only a typical
rest. If Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward
have spoken of another day? There's another rest. There's
another rest. In other words, Joshua said all
along, throughout his days, as he took over as God's spokesman
in the stead of Moses, he said, now, fellas, this is not, this
is only the outward physical sign of something better to come,
promised to our father Abraham in the covenant God made with
him, promised to Jesus Christ, our Lord, in the covenant made
with him. Now look at verse 9. There remaineth therefore, there
remaineth therefore, Joshua was talking about this, there remaineth
therefore a rest 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. Now, the word rest, go back and
read chapters three and four again at your leisure, as it
is used in chapters three and four, all the way through until
you get to chapter four, verse nine. The word rest is a word
which means to repose back, to lay down, to be at peace, to
be at ease, to cease from work, or to be at home. But if you
have a marginal reference, and most of you will in your Bibles,
in your center column reference or in the notations below the
verse, you will notice that the word rest in verse 9 is an entirely
different word. The word here translated rest
means sabbatism. It's probably translated in your
margin, a keeping of a sabbath. This is what we're told here
in Hebrews 9 or 4 verse 9. There remaineth therefore a keeping
of a sabbath to the people of God. There's still a sabbath
to be kept. Now this remaining sabbath rest
is what I want to talk about this evening for just a little
bit. I want to show you from the scriptures, from the scriptures. Oh, would to God we'd interpret
our commentaries by the scriptures, not scriptures by commentaries.
Interpret our theology books by the scriptures, not the scriptures
by theology books. Interpret church creeds and confessions
by the scriptures, not the other way around. I want to show you
from the scriptures how that the Old Testament Sabbath day
finds its fulfillment and complete accomplishment in Christ, and
I want you to see that we who believe truly keep the Sabbath. All right, first, I want you
to see that the Lord Jesus Christ has entered into rest, his rest,
and that his rest is glorious because he has finished all his
work. Come back to Isaiah 11 and verse
10. Hold your hands here in Hebrews
4. Come back to Isaiah 11 and verse 10. The text is talking about the
Lord Jesus Christ and his coming as our mediator, our savior,
and our redeemer. He says in verse 10, Isaiah 11,
in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, the Lord Jesus, the
son of God, who comes to be the son of man, which shall stand
for an instant. You know what an instant is?
You see those pictures of soldiers when they take a hill and they
raise the flag, that's the ensign. The flag around which the troops
gather. Jesus Christ is the flag around
which God's army, God's Israel, gathers. Who shall stand for
an ensign, a banner of the people? To it, to this ensign, shall
the Gentiles seek. Who? The Gentiles. God's elect
scattered abroad, that elect friend that who must enter into
rest. Now look at the next line, and
his rest shall be glorious. Again, the marginal translation
is this, and his rest shall be glorious. His rest is his glory. His rest is his glory. God the Father rested on the
seventh day because his work was finished. And the Lord Jesus
Christ rested on the seventh day of time in that which John
describes as the last time. This age in which we live, the
last tick of the clock, Jesus Christ has entered into his rest
and his rest is his glory. After he had put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself, after he had sanctified his people
with his blood, after he had fulfilled all the will of God,
we're told that he entered into heaven and sat down on the right
hand of the majesty on high from henceforth expecting on grounds
of justice and thankfulness in God his Father, expecting till
all his enemies be made his footstool, and all shall. Everybody's going
to bow to him. All his enemies are gonna come
bow before his throne. All his enemies are gonna kiss
the dust before his feet. All his enemies shall become
his footstool. Some made willingly his servants,
willing to bow before him by his omnipotent grace. But in
the day of judgment at last, all shall bow to him, like it
or no. Because he has now finished his
work, he sets down and his rest is glorious. Come back to Matthew
chapter 28. Now I want you to see where I'm
going with this. A couple of years ago, Brother
Larry brought a message from this passage, and before he read
the text, as he announced it, I turned to him, I was listening
to the tape, and I said, my soul, this is it. This is it. And look at verse 1 of chapter
28. This is a remarkable text of scripture. I wish all of you
could read it as it reads exactly in the original language. But
listen to the text in our authorized version. 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. Now let
me give you a literal translation. This is exactly what the text
says. In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
Sabbath. What? In the end of the Sabbath,
as it began to dawn toward the Sabbath. In other words, when
the Lord Jesus died and was buried, that's the end of Old Testament
Sabbath keeping, for that's the end of the law. And when he arose
again, it began to dawn upon this glorious Sabbath rest. that we keep by faith in him.
The sabbath of grace has now begun so behold our exalted savior
see him seated yonder upon the throne of heaven there he sits
in undisturbed undisturbable sovereign serenity and his rest
is his glory. Father restore to me the glory
which I had with thee before the world was. Do you see that?
The Lord Jesus has finished his work. He has brought in everlasting
righteousness. He has put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself. And now the salvation of his
people is a matter of absolute certainty for he with his own
blood has entered at once into the holy place having obtained. He got it. He got it. He's got
it in his hand. Eternal redemption for us. The works were finished before
the foundation of the world in God's purpose. We were declared
to be the children of God, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, slain
from the foundation of the world, justified, sanctified, and glorified
in Christ from eternity. The works were finished in time
when the God-man took his seat in heaven as our forerunner.
There is no more work to be done. That's the message of Christ's
finished work of redemption. There's nothing else to be done
in any way for any purpose to gain God's favor. Nothing else
to be done to establish righteousness of any kind. Nothing else to
be done to obtain forgiveness to any degree. Nothing else to
be done to Please God Almighty! Christ has finished his work
as our mediator. Now this is what the Sabbath
days in the Mosaic economy picture. You remember back in Exodus 31
13? It was a sign. It was a sign to show you that
I am the Lord your God which doth sanctify you. That's what
it said. all those legal ceremonial Sabbaths
of the Old Testament, all those Sabbaths required by the law
of God in the days of carnal worship, in those days of ceremonial
religion, were designed to portray this glorious gospel rest the
rest of heaven that shall follow, the Sabbath into which Christ
has entered and that into which we who believe enter as we trust
him. Ours is a Sabbath without end. Now, let me repeat to you something
I said to you a couple of weeks ago. I want to repeat it almost
exactly as I did a couple of weeks ago because I want you
to see this. I remember Celeste commenting after the service,
she said, I never saw that, never saw that. There were three specific
Sabbath days required by God to be kept throughout the days
of the Mosaic economy. The first is the seventh-day
Sabbath. in that day in which God ceased
from his works. On that Sabbath day, man was
required to cease from work. This is what we do when we come
to Christ. Believing on him, we quit trying
to do anything to get God's favor. We rest in Christ. We quit working. And as long as you're trying,
You can call it faith, and, faith, but, you can call it faith, if,
but as long as you're trying to do something by which you
can make up for your sin, as long as you're trying to do something
by which you can make God smile on you, as long as you're trying
to do something by which to attain some measure of righteousness
and holiness before God Almighty, you've missed Christ. You're
not resting in him. You're not resting in him. This
Sabbath of rest is to cease from the works. You see, men go to
hell. Men go to hell for one reason,
because they go about trying to establish their own righteousness
and refuse to submit to the righteousness of God that's in Christ Jesus.
Then secondly, God required Israel to keep a seven year Sabbath. It's called in the book of, let's
see, Deuteronomy, it's called the year of release. On that
seventh year, all the ground was released. It rested from
its slavery, its curse, and its toil. Portraying that rest which
shall come in God's new creation when Christ comes again and makes
all things new. The ground had been farmed for
seven years. The soil had been tilled. The
crops had been raised for seven years. Now God says, let it rest. Let it rest from the toil and
slavery and bondage of the curse brought upon the earth because
of man's sin. And one of these days there is
coming that glorious liberty of the children of God into which
Paul says the whole creation shall be transformed. God's going
to take away the curse. No more thorns and thistles.
I don't have any idea. Well, I got a good idea. What's
going to take place when God makes all things new and we dwell
forever with Christ in eternity. We're not going to be floating
around on clouds strumming hearts. That's just, I got no interest
in such things. We will serve our God on a new
heavens and new earth, Bobby, just like we serve him now, only
without sin or even the possibility. And if we happen to raise garden,
there won't be any striped potato bugs. There won't be any thorns
or thistles. We will have the earth completely
freed from the curse. But then there's this third Sabbath.
The law required a seventh year Sabbath as well. That is every
49 years, the whole land of Israel was required to celebrate a year
of Jubilee. It's a rather lengthy text, but
you can read it in Exodus chapter 25. Begins really at verse eight
and goes through the rest of the chapter. During this time,
all debts were discharged. Everything owed. Everything owed. Just kiss of goodbye. Everything
owed. All mortgages were canceled. All bondmen were set free, and
everything that had been lost was completely restored. That's the rest into which Jesus
Christ, our God, then Savior, has entered and taken possession. And when he gets done, we shall
enter into that rest perfectly in everlasting glory. He's canceled
our debt. He set the prisoners free. He's
canceled all mortgages. He's restored that which you
took not away in perfect salvation. This is the year of jubilee.
It's called the year of liberty in Exodus 46. This jubilee year
is that year which the Lord Jesus Christ has both finished and
entered into as our substitute. And it is that year of jubilee
which we proclaim in the gospel. You remember when the year of
jubilee began? The children of Israel were required to sound
the blast of a jubilee trumpet. And the jubilee trumpet proclaimed
debts cancelled, mortgages cancelled, bondman set free. Liberty! That's it. Liberty. And that's what we preach in
the gospel. Let's see if that's not so. Turn to Isaiah 61. Isaiah 61. Now if you want to read it at your
leisure, our Lord Jesus says in Luke chapter 4 verses 16 through
21, this is talking about me. This is talking about me. He
said, this day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. Isaiah
61 verse 1. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me, the son of God says, because the Lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings to the meek. He sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, the
opening of the prison doors to them that are bound. Verse two,
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. It began, skip,
2,000 years ago. The year is not talking about
12 month years, not talking about 365 day year. It's talking about
this gospel year, this year of liberty. Read on. To proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of the vengeance
of our God. The vengeance of our God. Well,
how can that be glorious? It's glorious because vengeance
is done. Justice is satisfied. Read on. He proclaims vengeance
of our God to comfort all that mourns. For how on earth could
the declaration of vengeance be a word of comfort in any other
way? We're talking about judgment, justice, satisfied by the sacrifice
of Christ. Look at verse three. To appoint
unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beautiful ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness. the planting of the Lord that
he might be glorified. Now look at verse 9 in our text
again. Every sinner who believes on
the Lord Jesus Christ keeps this Sabbath by faith in him. We enter
into his rest. There remaineth therefore a rest
to the people of God. There remains a rest to the people
of God. For he that is entered into his
rest, Christ did. Christ did. What's he doing now?
Nothing. Nothing so far as the accomplishment of redemption
is concerned. Nothing so far as the establishment of righteousness
is concerned. Nothing so far as the fulfilling
of God's requirements, as our surety is concerned. He's just
sitting down resting. Now, he has entered into his
rest, and we enter into his rest. If we have entered into his rest,
look at it. He that has entered into his rest, he also hath ceased
from his own works as God did for the years. What do you do
when you rest? Watch this. You just quit working. You just
quit working. You rest. You sit down. That's what it is to keep the
Sabbath. Oh God help you now to rest in
Christ. Amen. Lend you can loosen the
hymn please. Hymn number 53.