Series
Rev. Jerry Hamstra
The Book of Esther
The Book of Esther
Sermons
Rev. Jerry Hamstra
Introduction to Acts
Introduction to Acts

Sabbath

The Meaning of the Fourth Commandment (5) Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath

“Jesus’ intention is wonderfully expressed in Mark’s version of this story, where Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” What a wonderful sentiment is expressed in those words! The Sabbath is a gift. It is intended to be a day of joy and rest focused on the worship of God. It was never intended to be a burden. The Pharisees had made it such, but Jesus condemned that approach and as the Lord of the Sabbath gave us his authoritative interpretation.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

The Meaning of the Fourth Commandment (4) Rest for Everyone

“The Fourth Commandment is a transition between the first table of the law which is focused on our duty toward God and the second table of the law which is focused on our duty towards our fellow human beings. It requires that we set a day apart for the worship of God, but it also requires that the people who work for us and the weaker members of society share in the blessings of the Sabbath. The concern is that those who have the money and the power to have other people working for them, do not require those people to work for them on the Sabbath day. So the Sabbath is both about our duty towards God and our duty towards other people.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

The Meaning of the Fourth Commandment (3) A Memorial and a Sign

“This is one of God’s great purposes in creation and in the history of salvation – that people might come to know that he is the Lord of all and that they might give him the glory that is his due. And so, for his people, he gave them a day where work was off-limits and common activities were off-limits so that they might remember and contemplate where they had been before God had rescued them, but also that they might remember and adoringly ponder the awesome power and glory of their God revealed in their rescue.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

The Meaning of the Fourth Commandment (2) Work, Rest and God

“God did not rest because he was tired. He rested because “not working” is also worthwhile and valuable. He not only stopped working, he declared the state of not-working on the seventh day to be holy. We might say that he set the seventh day apart for himself. He set the example of taking pleasure in what he had created. He paused to enjoy “not working” and taking pleasure in his own glory as that was reflected in the creation. And, no doubt, part of his pleasure on that first seventh day was receiving the worship of the people whom he had created to serve and worship him.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Why We are Still Required to Keep the Fourth Commandment (2) The Moral Law

“Now if we are in the process of being shaped by the word and Spirit to love God with all our heart, and mind, and strength, what could be more delightful than a day set apart for the worship of God? That being the case you would think there would be little resistance to the idea that God commands us to keep the Sabbath as a holy day. It would be sad if God had taken away this command after the coming of Christ. It would be a loss. It would be the taking away of a blessing and a benefit.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra