Lesson 3 (Part 2): The Third Commandment

The third commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear learn it. Before you accuse me of being part of the Hebrew Roots Movement or the Seventh Day Adventists, let's talk about what it really means to keep the Sabbath holy.

In Exodus 20:9-10, God declares "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God". The day of the week we know as the seventh day is called Saturday on our calendar. Israel rested on the Sabbath to imitate God. Just as God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, so too do we work for six days and rest on the seventh.

What happened to God's perfect creation after he created Adam & Eve? When Adam & Eve disobeyed God, they became sinners. And from there, God's creation became cursed and twisted. And as a result, we each inherit a sin nature from Adam & Eve. It is our sin that ruined creation.

The Sabbath can still be found in the finished work of Christ. Luke 23:53-54 reads "Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, as the Sabbath was about to begin". Jesus was crucified on a Friday, the same day that God created man. Jesus rested on the Sabbath because after he was crucified, His work of saving the world was finished. Christ is our Sabbath rest. And just as on the 8th day man disobeyed and creation fell to sin, so too did Christ rise from the dead on the 8th day to save us from sin and death.

What are we to do with the Word, which is Jesus Christ? We are to call the Word scared and holy, and we are to obey and believe the Word.

In what ways does the Word come to us? The first way is by hearing the Word. Romans 10:17 says "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ".

The second way that Christ comes to us is by baptism. Baptism is a holy sacrament where we are granted with strengthened faith and the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 5:26 says "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word". While baptism may not be absolutely necessary for salvation, it is not to be willfully neglected. Every believer should go through the sacrament of baptism at some point in their lives.

The third way Christ comes to us is by communion. Jesus gave his disciples bread and commanded "Take and eat; this is my body". Then he offered the cup to them and said "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out, for many for the forgiveness of sins". As Lutherans, we believe in the real presence of Christ at the Eucharist. The bread remains bread, but is spiritually Christ's body in essence. And the wine remains wine, but is spiritually Christ's blood in essence. It does not the fit the definition of cannibalism that the early Christians were accused of. But a deeper lesson on communion will be for another time.

Where do we go to receive Christ, our Sabbath rest? As Lutherans we attend Divine Service to go and receive Christ. "Now wait a minute!" you might say. "Isn't that ritualistic? Are we not saved by grace?". We certainly are. We're saved by grace by faith. But it's not an excuse to not go to church. We go to divine service to receive our spiritual food, to keep our faith alive. Just as we keep our physical body alive by eating food and drinking water, so too do we need to feed our spirit and keep our faith alive. Is it always sinful to miss the Divine service? Not always, but it's not an excuse to miss the Divine Service whenever you want and just stay home and play video games. It's all about the intentions of your heart. For example, if you're really sick or have a crippling injury or disease, those would be good reasons to not make it to Divine Service.

How is the Word despised and rejected? One simple way is by not believing the Word and loving the world instead. But another way is by failing to gather together to receive the Word of God. God wants us to fellowship together. Not be isolated. Last but not least, one more way is by not remembering the Word or not living according to the Word of God. James 1:22-24 says "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

In conclusion, we keep the Sabbath holy by receiving Christ, our Sabbath rest. We worship on Sundays because it's the day Jesus rose. We are to continue to receive Christ and always live according to the Word of God. Continue to follow Him and receive Him forever and always and don't turn back!