In the past couple of articles we have been looking at lessons we can learn from the 10 commandments that God gave to the Jewish nation of Israel. So far we have looked at the first three: No other gods, No idols, Do not use the Lord’s name in vain. God alone is LORD. He is the Almighty God. He alone is to be worshiped and praised. He is to sit on the throne of our hearts. His name is holy and we are to revere Him. Let’s now go to the 4th commandment.
In Exodus 20:8-11 we find that God set aside a special day for the Jews that was meant to be a holy day in which they focused on God and nothing else. It reads, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This was a very important day. So much so that if anyone broke this commandment they were stoned to death. It was a serious day. But was also meant to be a wonderful day of praise to God. Of thankfulness. Of meditation. The Israelites were to enjoy that day and look forward to it. Not just to get out of working but because they could take special time to commune with God on a weekly basis. They would be tempted to neglect that day. Forget about it. Be too busy for it. Just go through the motions of it. But God was looking for the sincere hearts that would remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Faithfully. Willingly. Obediently. Lovingly. Thankfully.
Although we are not to observe the Sabbath day under the law of Christ, there are lessons in it that help us understand how we are to observe our special day as Christians. What day is that? It is a day of worship. The Lord’s day. The day we come together to obey the command we have been given to remember our Savior Jesus Christ in partaking of the Lord’s Supper. On the first day of the week. Sunday. When Jesus was eating the Passover with His disciples He took unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, gave it to them and said that they were to partake of it in remembrance of Him. Of this Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” Sunday is meant to be the special day we come together to do exactly what Jesus wants us to do; remember Him and His sacrifice for our sins. It is not a social event we can pick and choose when we want to come. It is very serious. It is also very joyful. It is a day of worship in which we also sing and pray. We can spend time together studying God’s Word. We are to remember it and keep it.
We cannot take this day lightly. We cannot miss this day. If we do not partake of the Lord’s Supper then we are not worshiping Jesus. If we do not take the Lord’s Supper then we are disobeying Christ. If we are disobeying Christ then that is sin. If we take no real interest in worshiping God on Sunday in song, prayer, the Bible, and the Lord’s Supper, what does that say about our hearts? What does that tell God? What does that tell others? Some get bored with Sunday. Others want to use Sunday for themselves and their own time. Some don’t take worship seriously. The joy of worshiping God is void in some hearts. May that never be said of us.
Are you remembering the first day of the week, the day of worship? Am I coming to remember Jesus in the eating of the Lord’s Supper? Are we keeping that day special in our hearts? Don’t neglect it. Don’t take it lightly. Don’t disobey Jesus. Let’s give God our very best. Worship Him. Praise Him. Remember that Jesus died for us on the cross, was raised from the dead, and is coming back. Come into the presence of God with thanksgiving and love. Are you excited about Sunday? Do you look forward to it? We should. It should be the best day of the week for us. Where will you and I be on Sunday?
A Cord of Blue 