Sermon Tone Analysis

Open: Dr. Ken Trivette shares the following insights concerning the Jewish mindset – "The observance of the Sabbath was strictly observed and strictly enforced.

Whereas, they took God's command to rest on the Sabbath seriously, as the years passed they added their own rules and regulations about the Sabbath.

There were approximately 1,521 things that were not permissible on the Sabbath.

For example: you could not rescue a drowning person on the Sabbath.

Untying knots that needed only one hand was permissible, but if two hands were required, it was forbidden.

If a man's ox fell into the ditch, he could pull it out, but if the man fell in, he had to stay there.

One could take a sup of vinegar for food, but if he took a sup in order to help his aching toothache, he had broken the Sabbath.

If a man was bitten by a flea on the Sabbath, he had to allow the flea to keep on biting.

If he tried to stop the flea from biting or killed it, he was guilty of hunting on the Sabbath."

Transition: Some of these may appear humorous to us, but it was serious business to the Jews.

In their zeal to honor the law, they exceeded the law and missed the spirit of the Law.

Modern Christians, living under Grace, may likewise have missed the principle of the 4th Commandment

Modern Observance: The Lord’s Day

“The reason why God instituted the old Sabbath was to be a memorial of the creation; but He has now brought the first day of the week in its room in memory of a more glorious work than creation, which is redemption” (The Ten Commandments, by Thomas Watson, p. 96)The Jewish Sabbath ran from Friday night at twilight to Saturday night at twilight.

In the early Christian Church, the observance changed from the last day of the week to the first day of the week.

This change was based on the fact that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday - the first day of the week.