11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
 
     It’s fascinating that the more conveniences that we have in our modern world, the busier we have become. Washing machines, automobiles, and the Internet have not made us less busy … instead, busier! But, the Sabbath Day is a holy day, a consecrated day, and a day for our personal sanctification. Let us take Sunday as a day to remember what God has done for us; don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow “shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:34)
     And what did Jesus do? What can we remember on Sunday as we set the day apart for worship? Some call it the Christian Sabbath; some the Lord’s day. It is on the first day of the week that the early followers of Jesus went to the tomb and realized that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead! The payment for our sins had been completed, and He was raised victoriously. Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, and all the gospels attest to how special the ‘1st day of the week’ became for the early churches.
     We encourage you this week and especially this coming Lord’s Day, think of the Sabbath as a day of rest, as a day of God showing how much He loves you and cares for you, and as a time to rest from all the work that the Lord has given you to do with your hands.

If you need a church to visit this Sunday and you find yourself in Western Massachusetts, we invite you to Berkshire Hills Baptist Church in Lee, MA. If you want to hear all of the sermon this blog post has been based on, listen here:

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work … Exodus 20:8-9
 
     Today, we have chosen to worship God on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the same day the Lord Jesus was resurrected. We remember the Lord who has given us all blessings. It’s not only to rest our bodies, but also to help us remember who gave us this body so we can work.
     It’s completely true, the Sabbath rest infers that God wants us to work! Some take this to the extreme (Christians and non-Christians alike) and work 81 hours, 7 days a week, to accumulate as much money as they can in this life. They forgot the Lord’s blessings that have allowed them to be able to work and have the strength to make their money. It is doubtful anyone would ever read on someone’s tombstone “I wish I could work one more day.”
     Still, others swing the pendulum in the opposite direction and work not at all; this is not referring to those who are now retired, but rather those who are simply lazy. We are expected to work; Paul has told us that “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Just as God gave Adam and Eve a job to do in the Garden of Eden, so He has given us tasks not for ourselves, but to help others.
     There are legitimately other people who have needs they cannot meet for themselves; we have been called to work six days so we may “give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28). Then, our rest is truly glorious and restorative because we thank Him for the blessing He has made us for other people who need it.
 
If you haven’t had a chance, listen to this week’s sermon on the Sabbath!

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

     We do not keep the Sabbath in order to go to heaven; we keep the Sabbath day holy because we are citizens of Heaven and we have entered into God’s rest. Be warned, do not rely on worshiping either on the Sabbath Day (Saturday) or on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) to be enough to enter God’s Kingdom. Only faith in Christ and His work on the cross can bring us to glory.
     Yet, we believe in the principle of resting one day in the week as obedience to God’s commands. It is not another check mark on a list of things to do; rather, it is a joy to look forward to gathering once a week with other believers. In fact, it restores our soul.
Psalm 23 reminds us that the Lord restores our soul. Remembering to take one day off in the week to worship God is His way to restore us. The idea of rest (Sabbath) is mentioned 89 times in the Old Testament and 62 times in the New Testament. Even Jesus took time to rest His soul while on the earth. (Mark 4:35-40)
     While there are some jobs that may require people to work seven days a week and even longer, our bodies were not meant to continue working perpetually. If you find yourself skipping this once a day rest, think about praying and asking the Lord to help you take Sunday off to worship Him; you can rest in all the victories and even recover from the defeats of the previous week and look toward the next six days as another adventure from Him.
 
To learn more about the 4th commandment, listen to last Sunday’s message on the Sabbath!