What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
That on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath.
That on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath.
“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.
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
That we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.
That we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.
Mark
Exodus
It is now easy to understand the doctrine of the law—viz. that God, as our Creator, is entitled to be regarded by us as a Father and Master, and should, accordingly, receive from us fear, love, reverence, and glory; nay, that we are not our own, to follow whatever course passion dictates, but are bound to obey him implicitly, and to acquiesce entirely in his good pleasure. Again, the Law teaches, that justice and rectitude are a delight, injustice an abomination to him, and, therefore, as we would not with impious ingratitude revolt from our Maker, our whole life must be spent in the cultivation of righteousness. For if we manifest becoming reverence only when we prefer his will to our own, it follows, that the only legitimate service to him is the practice of justice, purity, and holiness. Nor can we plead as an excuse, that we want the power, and, like debtors, whose means are exhausted, are unable to pay. We cannot be permitted to measure the glory of God by our ability; whatever we may be, he ever remains like himself, the friend of righteousness, the enemy of unrighteousness, and whatever his demands from us may be, as he can only require what is right, we are necessarily under a natural obligation to obey.12
If we read the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, we come to see that the command to remember the Sabbath day has two aspects to it.
It’s a crucial practice.
It’s a crucial practice.
In our lives we’re commanded to have a rhythm of work and rest, and we are forbidden to overwork. We’re also commanded to nurture our bodies and our souls. We’re not supposed to nurture only our bodies. We’re to rejuvenate our souls through fellowship and through prayer and devotion and worship every week.
It’s also true, however, that the New Testament shows us that the Sabbath day points to a deeper kind of rest.
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
in particular says that when we believe in Christ and the gospel, we rest from our works. Which means the great burden of having to prove ourselves and having to earn our salvation is lifted from us. In this life we get much of that deeper rest, and yet it’s only completely realized in the future in the new heavens and new earth. And we look for that and we long for that. It’s deeply consoling especially at times in which we’re very weary. The fifth commandment to honor our parents should also be read in light of the gospel. The command says that as children, we should obey our parents. As adults, we should respect and listen to our parents. And yet the gospel also reminds us that God is our Father, by grace we’re brought into his family, and he is our primary source of love. And if our primary phileo relationship is with him, then we are able to love and honor our parents well, not looking to them to provide what can be found in God alone.
in particular says that when we believe in Christ and the gospel, we rest from our works.
Which means the great burden of having to prove ourselves and having to earn our salvation is lifted from us.
Which means the great burden of having to prove ourselves and having to earn our salvation is lifted from us.
We will flourish only when we walk in His ways.
In this life we get much of that deeper rest, and yet it’s only completely realized in the future in the new heavens and new earth. And we look for that and we long for that. It’s deeply consoling especially at times in which we’re very weary.
He have made us, and He tells us we need rest.
We tend to judge God’s ability in measure to ours if we are not careful.
If we do not rest, we begin to have too high an opinion of ourselves.
If we do not rest, we begin to have too high an opinion of ourselves.
John Calvin once wrote-
We cannot be permitted to measure the glory of God by our ability; whatever we may be, he ever remains like himself, the friend of righteousness, the enemy of unrighteousness, and whatever his demands from us may be, as he can only require what is right, we are necessarily under a natural obligation to obey.12
May the Lord keep us from justifying ourselves through ceaseless work.
The New City Catechism Devotional (Gospel Coalition) . Crossway. Kindle Edition.
May He Give us humility to honor our parents.
May we always live by His commands rather than by our own instincts.
The New City Catechism Devotional (Gospel Coalition) . Crossway. Kindle Edition.
The New City Catechism Devotional (Gospel Coalition) . Crossway. Kindle Edition.
That we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.
That we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.
The New City Catechism Devotional (Gospel Coalition) . Crossway. Kindle Edition.
The fifth commandment to honor our parents should also be read in light of the gospel. The command says that as children, we should obey our parents. As adults, we should respect and listen to our parents.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
If one curses his father or his mother,
his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
And yet the gospel also reminds us that God is our Father, by grace we’re brought into his family, and he is our primary source of love.
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
1 Corinthians
Isaiah
But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
And if our primary phileo relationship is with him, then we are able to love and honor our parents well, not looking to them to provide what can be found in God alone.
We will flourish only when we walk in His ways.
We will flourish only when we walk in His ways.
He has made us, and He tells us we need rest.
May the Lord keep us from justifying ourselves through ceaseless work.
May He Give us humility to honor our parents.
May we always live by His commands rather than by our own instincts.