Remember the Sabbath Day

Biblical Church Worship: A Study of the Ten Commandments 
Exodus 20: 8-11
The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day
Reading: Genesis 2:1-3; Psalm 95:1-11; Matthew 11:27-30; John 6:26-29; Hebrews 4:1-11

Remember the Sabbath Day
The Jewish sabbath falls on the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday. Here we read that God commands the Hebrews to mark the seventh day, to be mindful of the sabbath. The day is holy or set apart for God, for it was also the day God sanctified to cease from His creation work (Genesis 2:1-3).
The Hebrews were instructed to set apart this last day of the week to make it a day of rest. This certainly meant a rest for the whole of man’s being. Knowing that man is human and not a machine, God gave the sabbath to His people for their benefit. The greatest benefit of rest for the people included taking rest in the person and work of God Himself. They were to take rest in the coming salvation which God would provide through the Messiah.

The early Christians, many of whom were Jewish, substituted the sabbath day with the Lord’s day. The Lord’s’ day fell on the first rather than the seventh day of the week. The Lord’s day was a day of worshipping the risen Christ Jesus. The Christian’s worship included remembering the redemptive work of the Lord. And the Christians relied (took rest) in the salvation God had provided through Jesus.

Implication                                                                                                                                                                       
God’s sabbath rest remains available today and God calls all people to come and take rest. The rest to which God calls us is to cease from our own labor to try to get into heaven and to rest upon Christ for salvation. We take this rest when we understand our sinfulness, that Christ paid for our sin on the cross, that He rose from the dead to give us forgiveness and new life, and we believe in (rest in) Him for salvation.
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A Question to Ask Yourself
1. Upon whom or what am I relying to get into heaven?