Gordon Cook

Pastor Piñero and Pastor Martinez have asked me to bring four messages on the subject of the worship day. In the Old Testament it was called the “Sabbath.” We often call it the “Lord’s Day” from a New Testament perspective. That’s the subject I am going to address in these four meetings. Tonight we are going to look at it from the very beginning, the Creational Sabbath. So we go all the way back to Genesis chapter 2. And that’s where I would want you to turn in your Bibles please—Genesis chapter 2, beginning at verse 1:

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

A few years ago I stood at the foot of Mt. Rushmore, one of the most memorable-historical sites in the United States of America. And as you probably know, carved into that massive granite mountain are the faces of four different presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. And it took approximately fourteen years before that project was finished. Now, apparently from time to time they have to power wash and clean the faces of those four presidents. If not, a significant disfiguration can result from the smog and the pollutants in the air. And I’m sure most Americans—I’m a Canadian by the way—would agree that that’s a very important monument to preserve. But now what would you think if someone came along and began to use chisels and hammers and removed the distinctive facial features of those four presidents? They decided to reshape their noses, their eyes and their chins, and so much so that you really couldn’t tell the difference between George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, or Jefferson (he looked very much like Roosevelt when they were finished). I’m sure that would bother you. I’m sure the American public would be in an uproar. People would be incensed. It would be viewed as vandalism. And in all likelihood those responsible for that would be put behind bars. Nobody has a right to deface or to radically change the distinctive features of your former presidents. How dare they? How could they? Well something very similar is happening today in churches across the land.

The face of worship is changing. We are losing the distinctive elements of worship.

James Montgomery Boice who was pastor at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, when he was alive, made a similar protest over the loss of the distinctive aspects of worship. He says this:

In recent years, I have noticed the decreasing presence, and in some cases the total absence, of service elements that have been associated with God’s worship…It is almost inconceivable to me that something called worship can be held without significant prayer… The reading of any substantial portion of the Bible is also vanishing.¹

And then he mentions how preachers today are trying to be personable, tell funny stories, and stay away from any topics that might make people unhappy and leave the church. He mentions another distinction that is being lost: the confession of sin. Instead of coming to church to admit our transgressions and seek forgiveness, we come to church to be told that we are pretty nice people and we don’t need forgiveness. And then he says this, “One of the saddest features of contemporary worship is that the great hymns of the church are on the way out. They are not out entirely, but they are going…” The distinctive elements of worship are being blurred or lost, aren’t they? It seems that more and more people are taking hammers and chisels to God’s face of worship.

And there’s something else that is being lost: the distinctive day of worship. Some would argue, “Well, isn’t every day a worship day?” Well, yes, every day should be a day where we as Christians live for God, under the eye of God. Every day we should be taking advantages of the means of grace, especially in terms of the private means: prayer, Bible reading, and meditation everyday. We should love God with the totality of our beings. But, we can’t give ourselves to God in a full orb, undistracted way every day, can we? We have to work. We have to provide for our families. We have to go to school. Life can get very busy and hectic. And it’s not always easy is it, to find quality time and quantity time for God every day? God knows that. And so God gave man a special rest day, or a worship day. And, that’s what I want us to consider this evening.

I want us to stand in front of Mt. Rushmore, the Mt. Rushmore of worship, and look into the face of the Sabbath day, or what we call the Lord’s Day, and appreciate its distinctive features. What makes this day so special, so distinct? Well there are three things I want us to consider this evening. Here they are and I trust we’ll follow them through one by one:

1. The origin of God’s distinctive worship day
2. The nature of God’s distinctive worship day
3. The purposes of God’s distinctive worship day

The Origin of God’s Distinctive Worship Day

First of all then the origin of God’s distinctive worship day. Somebody has said that if you really want to understand something in a real good way you have to study origins. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Let me give you a little warning. I am from Canada. And what are Canadians most famous for? You’re probably thinking not very much. Well, there’s the game of hockey. That’s probably what they’re most famous for. And if you really want to understand and appreciate hockey you have to travel up to Canada. You should know that. But did you know this? Do you know where football begins? It’s an American sport. I realize that. But it began in Canada. Sorry. It began at McGill University at Montreal in 1874. Now, I’ll probably get thrown out for saying that, but most people don’t know that, do they? They don’t know the origins of football, and it probably doesn’t really matter if you do. But, when it comes to worship, and when it comes to the worship day, you and I better know the origins of this day. And most people—even most Christians—if you were to ask them, “When did the Sabbath day”—or the worship day of God—“begin?” they probably couldn’t tell you. Or, if they gave an answer, most would say, “It began with Moses” or “It began with the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai with the lightning and the thunder.” But that’s not where it began. No, its origins can be traced back to an earlier stage in redemptive history. The Sabbath day predates Moses. How do you know that? Well, we could say in several ways.

First of all, we could say in terms of circumstantial evidence. We can point to a pre-Moses Sabbath worship day. And I say that in light of the fourth commandment. How does it begin? “Remember the Sabbath day.” That intimates, doesn’t it? If you’re going to remember that means something has already been there. Just like when you come to the Lord’s Supper. You remember the Lord, right? You remember what He did; something in the past. So the very word “remember” intimates a prior existence or an earlier institution. That’s circumstantial evidence, but it’s evidence. Plus, there’s evidence in the book of Genesis, and even into the early chapters of Exodus, of a seven-day week. The book of Genesis, chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 17, chapter 21, chapter, 31, chapter 50, Exodus 7, 12, and 13, all make reference to a seven-day week. That’s circumstantial evidence, but it’s still evidence. But, let me say this, the evidence for a Sabbath day that predates Moses is more than circumstantial. I would argue it’s quite conclusive. Just pick up a concordance and go looking for the word “Sabbath” and you will find that the very concept is embedded in your Bible way back as far as you can go in human history. The first mention of the Sabbath takes us right back to creation. We can speak of a Creational Sabbath, or what sometimes has been called “God’s Sabbath.” We go all the way back to Genesis chapter 2, the passage that was read earlier in your hearing.

I’m personally convinced that Adam, the very first man who stood on planet earth, knew something about setting aside a day for God. And we see something of that idea here. Genesis chapter 1 and 2 as you know is the story of creation; it’s the story about beginnings. It’s the story about origin, isn’t it? It’s the story about the beginning of time; the beginning of life; the beginning of marriage; the beginning of work; and the beginning of the Sabbath. Genesis 1:1, notice how it starts: “In the beginning…” So this is the book about beginnings, and I’m sure you know that the first chapter of Genesis is structured by God’s speaking voice. God speaks in verse 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, and 24. Seven times God speaks in that first chapter. And then that chapter, Genesis 1, is also structured by days. So it’s structured by God’s speaking voice, but it’s also structured by days. You have this repeated formula. There was evening and there was night, or there was morning and there was night. Verse 19, for example: “So the evening and the morning.” You find that in verse 5, 13, 19, 23, and 31. And that’s an expression for a 24-hour period.

We shouldn’t be embarrassed, should we; about six days of creation? The six days remind us of how powerful God is. God could have made the world in six hours, couldn’t He? Six seconds. But here’s the question that I think we need to ask: why did God make the world in six days? Why not ten days? Why not four months? Well, one of the reasons at least is because God wants you and I to live disciplined, structured lives. God doesn’t want you and I to live aimlessly, or without purpose, meaning, and significance. God wants your life to be shaped by the structure of time. Now if you think that’s reading too much into Genesis 1 and 2, I would simply turn you to Exodus 20.

Turn, if you will, to Exodus 20 where you have the giving of the law. I’m sure you know that the Bible is a book of progressive revelation. Things that are planted in seed form grow and flower later on. Things become clearer, more patent. And that’s true about God’s worship day, the Sabbath. With the giving of the law God gives amplification and explanation to the creation story, and helps us understand why in six days He made the earth and why there was a seventh day. So when you turn to Exodus 20, God’s going to shed more light on why He did what He did back in Genesis 1 and 2. Exodus 20:9—notice there’s a clear reference to six days of creation: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” Why? Verse 11: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth…” Notice that the fourth commandment is not just about one day. It’s about seven days. I don’t think that’s always been appreciated. The whole commandment is about wise time management, isn’t it? Use your time the way God tells you to use your time. God wants you to manage your time well. And there’s something else here that explains the structure of time and why God gives us a seven day week of work and rest, and Genesis 1:26 is the key.

I remember John Calvin, reading one of his quotes, or one of his chapters in the Institutes, he says, “Man will never understand himself, unless he first looks into the face of God.” In Genesis 1, when we look into the face of God, we see God the Creator, don’t we? But you have to look into the face of God, and understand who God is, to understand His creature, named “man.” And what do we learn about man from Genesis 1:26? We learn this: man was made in the image of God. And that word, that “image of God,” is a very pregnant phrase. It would take months to really unpack what it means. It’s profound. I don’t think there has been any theologian who has completely understood the depth and profundity of that phrase. But it means that everything that makes you human, distinct from the animals, has something to tell us about what that means. And I hope this doesn’t insult anyone, but your great ancestor was not a monkey or an ape. You didn’t crawl out of a pool of slime. No, you were made by God. And you were not only made by God, you were made like God. You were made in His image. Animals don’t punch a time-card, do they? God made this world in six days, and he wants you and I to work six days. The six days of work are to order our lives and allow us to reflect God’s image. When you go to work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, maybe you work on Saturday, or do work around the home, you are to behave, or you are to look like God.

Luther said, “Man was not created for leisure, but for work.” Even in the state of innocence. Yes, the curse has made work harder. But work itself is not part of the curse, is it? Adam would have gone to work every day whistling, wouldn’t he? He would have been thrilled to go into that garden excited that he could bring glory to God and reflect God by his labor. And in light of creation, brethren, and in light of God’s likeness, you can understand why the Bible gives so many warnings against laziness, or indulgence, or indolence. If you don’t work, or if you’re lazy, you are guilty of defacing the very image of God. God is a worker, and God wants you and I to work. He wants us to reflect Him by our labor.

But now there’s more to the story of creation. We learn something else that God does in the beginning. Genesis 2:1-2, look again at that text because that’s the key text that we want to focus on this evening. “Thus the Lord”, we are told, “made the heavens and the earth”. He finished what he had done there. And then “on the seventh day” verse 2 “God ended His work which He had done”. God now rests. Here’s the question again: why does God rest? Does He do it for Himself or does He do it for us? Did God need rest? The Bible says God doesn’t get weary or tired. Does He? God doesn’t need sleep. God doesn’t need rest like you and I need rest. God’s always active. Every day it rains we know God is active. God is working in terms of His providence. So, what does it mean: “God rested”? Well, the text literally says this, “God’s Sabbath.” God’s Sabbath is on the seventh day, and the idea is this: God set aside something. He left it alone, He ceased to create. There was a complete break from His previous labor of six days.

Now as we saw earlier, work and rest are forged (24:18) together in the fourth commandment. The fourth commandment isn’t just about keeping the Sabbath day, is it? It’s about working six other days. Work and rest get inscribed on stone. The fourth commandment is about working and about resting. And God draws attention here to the seventh day in His commandment: one day of rest after the six days of work. God wants you and I to be like Him. We’re made in His image. God is a working God, and God is a resting God. Do you see? God is a working God, and God is a resting God. God wants us to shape our week by work and by rest. And the fact that both work and rest are forced (25:22) together in the fourth commandment of Exodus 20 argues that both are creation ordinances, God can’t think of one without the other, and neither should we. And when I speak of a creation ordinance I hope you know what I mean. I’m simply saying that this was something that was instituted by God at creation for all mankind. Does God want every man to work? Does God want every man to rest?

If you want to get a treatment on the creation ordinances the finest book on it is John Murray’s classic work, Principles of Conduct. I was re-reading it this past week. That was one of the books that we studied in the Academy at Trinity years ago. He deals with these matters of the creation ordinances and here’s how he defines them: “These creation ordinances, as we may call them, are the procreation of offspring,”—having children—“replenishing the earth, subduing of the same, dominion over the creatures, labour, the weekly Sabbath, and marriage…There is a complementation of these mandates,” says Mr. Murray, “and they interpenetrate one another”². They come like a packaged gift of three; the big ones: the big one of marriage, the big one of labor, and the big one of Sabbath. God gave man this gift of three—each was a gift. He gave him a gift of marriage, a gift of work and labor, and a gift of the Sabbath. But they come together. That’s the point that Murray is making. There is a complementation, but these penetrate one another. And so, if you reject one, it won’t be long before you reject the others.

Don’t we see that happening today? Think about it. Marriage in this country is at an all-time low. Fewer adults are married than ever before. There’s more divorce, more singles who simply don’t want to get married, and there’s more people living together more than ever before in this country called America. Marriage is in trouble. There’s one of the creational ordinances.

What about work; the protestant work ethic? That’s suffered to, hasn’t it? How many people do you know who work hard and work honestly? People don’t want to work today, they want to play. Today there are websites dedicated to the mockery of employment with names like “ishouldbeworking.com” and “boredatwork.com”. And then people go to the other extreme. They don’t work or don’t want to work; the other extreme is that’s all they want to do: work. And so they make an idol out of work. They become workaholics. That’s all they think about. That’s all they breathe: work. The creational ordinance of marriage has suffered. The creational ordinance of work has suffered. And we all know this, don’t we? The creational ordinance of the Sabbath has suffered.

From 1776 to 1960—that’s a lot of time—Sabbath-keeping had a place of universal acceptance among Protestant Christians in America. Today it has virtually disappeared. We have forgotten God; God the Creator. And it shows itself by trampling upon the creational ordinances of marriage, labor/work, and the Sabbath. And it’s clear that that’s true even in terms of redemptive history. That’s why you have almost a complete silence after the Sabbath was instituted in Genesis 2, but you have a fall in Genesis 3. You hear virtually nothing about the Sabbath day. It’s being despised. (30:52) The patriarchs themselves despised marriage to some degree, don’t they? They are entering into polygamous relationships. Divorce is rampant in the Old Testament. And when Jesus comes in the New Testament divorce is rampant in His day, and the Sabbath is being trampled upon by the Pharisees and the scribes.

And what does Jesus do to get men to start thinking about God’s gifts? Remember what He does? In Matthew 19, in terms of marriage, He’s seeking to restore it and have men think back to what God made of the gift of marriage. He’s defending the marriage institution against rampant divorce that was prevalent in His day, and He says, “Have you not read that in the beginning God made male and female?” He takes them right back to Genesis 1. And when Jesus defends the Sabbath in Mark 2, what does He do? He takes them back to creation again: “The Sabbath was made for man.” Jesus understood the importance of origins. He understood that if we are to hold fast to the institution of marriage we better be sure of origins. Who made marriage and what did God make when He made marriage? And if we are to hold to the distinctive day of worship, we better remember who made worship or made that worship day and what he made it for? That’s the first thing: the origin of the distinctive worship day.

The Nature of God’s Distinctive Worship Day

But now, secondly, the nature of God’s appointed day of worship, or the distinctive day of worship. We’ve looked at the origin. Secondly, we now come to the nature of it. If you look at God’s worship day through the lens of Genesis 1 and 2, we could all say this—I hope we could—“The Sabbath was a beautiful day.” Right? How could it not be? It was a beautiful world. God gave man the Sabbath when the world was perfect. Perfect Adam, perfect Eve, and He gave him this day called the “Sabbath.” It was part of a perfect, beautiful world. And it’s very interesting, when you read Genesis 2, how God wants to highlight this day. I’ve never seen it quite this way before until I began to study it afresh. But there are at least five ways in which God sets apart this day called the Sabbath in Genesis 2. What are they?

A Symbolical Way

Number one, He sets it off in a symbolical way. Genesis 2:2: “And on the seventh day…” Now, when you see that number seven, does that mean anything to you? Well, it should because it’s probably the most important number in the Bible. Do you know how many times the number seven is used in the Bible? Over seven-hundred times. Seven is pretty important, isn’t it? When you turn to the book of Revelation, how many times does that number seven pop up? Seven churches, seven letters, seven spirits, seven stars, seven trumpets. The number seven points to completion. It points to perfection. It’s been called “God’s number.” God marks out this special day of worship as the seventh day. He’s letting us know something very special about the day because of the number seven. That’s the first way in which He marks it off.

The Structure of the Genesis Narrative

The second thing that we see here in Genesis 1 and 2 that highlights this day is the very structure of the genitive narrative. From Genesis 1 right through to Genesis 2, the word “create” and “make” are used seven times. It’s pretty interesting, isn’t it? In Genesis 2 you find a pattern of seven lines rising to a crescendo into Genesis 2:3 which brings us to a completion or a consummation where God now rests from His worship. If you look at the English, it’s marked off by commas and periods. There are seven of them. God wants us to know that this is a big day, this day called the Sabbath. One scholar makes the observation—listen to what he says: “Moses constructs the story with billowing detail and movement. With crescendo Moses devotes more and more time, gives more and more space to the climactic apex of creation.” So the more you move into the story of creation Moses starts to talk more, and he talks most about the creation of man because that’s the most important thing. But then he moves in to talk about the day. You see, the best day of the whole story is the seventh day, the day where God rested. God has made man to have fellowship with Him. He wants man to enjoy Him on the seventh day.

The Westminster Larger and the Shorter Catechism begins with a question: What is the chief end, or the highest end, of man? Well, it’s to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. How do you know that? The Sabbath day institution. God has given us this day to glorify Him and to enjoy Him. And God goes out of His way, as it were, to mark out this day. How does He do it? Symbolically, with the number seven, that’s the first way. Structurally, with the whole narrative of the creation story, that’s the third way.

God Leads by Example

And then, thirdly, God distinguishes, or sets apart, this day by three actions. Did you pick up what they were? Number one, Genesis 2:2, He rests, He “Sabbath-ed” on that day. God is setting the example, the pattern. And again, God doesn’t need rest like you and me. God doesn’t need to catch His breath. No, He wants us to learn by His example. He teaches us by His words, but also by His actions. But God also earmarks the day by two more actions. He wants us to be very sure that we see how different, how special, how unique this day is. He’s wrapping it up with ribbons, as it were, before He presents it to man. And notice what He does next in verse 3 of Genesis 2: “Then God blessed the seventh day…” He doesn’t do that with any other day, does He? He blesses the seventh day. What does that mean?

God Blesses the Day

Well, again if you had a concordance you would find that the word “blessed” or “blessing” is found hundreds and hundreds of times in your Bible. When I think of that word “blessed” I think of the blessed man of Psalm 1. Remember him? “Blessed is the man…” That’s how that psalm starts off. And when you read that psalm you get a sense of what it means to be a blessed man. A blessed man is put under the image of a tree. In Psalm 1: a tree that bears fruit in its season. We learn from Psalm 1 that a blessed man has a life marked by stability. He’s like a tree planted by rivers of water. The blessed man has a life that is marked by vitality and productivity: he bears fruit. The blessed man’s life is marked by durability or steadfastness or perseverance: his leaf does not wither. The blessed man’s life is marked by prosperity: whatever he does prospers. That’s the blessed life. Do you want a life like that? What does the blessed man do? He spends time with God, doesn’t he? He meditates in His Word day and night. The blessed man spends this blessed day with God. He takes advantage of time with God. That’s the way of blessing. It’s a special day marked and distinguished by God in the very beginning. The number seven tells us how special it is. The very narrative, the structure of Genesis 1 and 2 points to the special character of this day: God rested on that day, God blesses that day.

God Sanctifies the Day

But there’s something else that God does here. I said there are five things, and we’ve looked at four of them. But look at what else God does, verse 3: “God sanctified the day”. He made it holy. And that word “holy”—again, it’s a big, big word in the Bible. When you think of the word “holy” you think of God, don’t you? That’s His master attribute. That word defines God more than any other word. It points not only to His purity, but to His uniqueness, and His transcendence. The word “holy” tells us there is nobody like God. Holiness sets God apart. And God sets this day apart.

One Hebrew scholar says “Sanctifying was not merely declaring, but communicating the attribute of holiness by placing this day in living relation to God, the Holy One.” It’s a day for God. The very word “holy” suggests that; to spend time with Him. It’s a day for sanctification. It’s a day for devotion to the Holy One. And there are going to be things that you can do on this day that you could not do on those six days of the week, those six work days. They are full of a myriad of responsibilities and cares. And today we are seeing people under more stress and pressure than ever, aren’t we? Men are working longer hours. We have a number of men at our church who have said to me they have never been under more stress in all their lives, in terms of work, than they are today. They are always on call. They’re like physicians now. They have to have their cell phone on everywhere they go. Corporate America is demanding more and more. And it’s starting to resemble the Egyptian taskmaster using a whip and a scourge. A harshness has entered the workplace. We need rest from the tyranny of work. Maybe the increased workload and the added stress and pressure will help bring a new meaning and significance to the rest day that God gave us. Men are going to realize, “Boy, do I ever need this day.”

We need a rest day, don’t we? If the first man, Adam, needed a rest day, in a perfect world, don’t we need a rest day in a sin-cursed world? Of course we do. Even the medical profession recognizes that our bodies need rest. They recognize that the physical heart needs rest; the physical brain needs rhythm of work and rest. The mind and the body is like an elastic band, and you can only stretch it so far. I wonder how many hospitals and psychiatric wards are jammed to capacity because far too many people have forgotten God’s rest day. You see, it’s not only good for your soul; it’s good for your body. It was made for man; it was made for all men. You see, it has common grace benefits, as well as special grace benefits. It was made for man. The Sabbath day, if ignored, will have people suffer more and more physically, of course spiritually, and socially.

The Purposes of God’s Distinctive Worship Day

The origin of the Sabbath, the nature of the Sabbath, and then thirdly—and here we’re talking about the Creational Sabbath—the purposes of the Sabbath. We’ve asked and answered the question of when: when did God give the Sabbath worship rest day? Well, Genesis 1 and 2 gives us the answer. God gave this day in the fresh aftermath of that sixth day of work, after that work of creation. What exactly did God give? Well, He gave Adam, our first parents, Adam and Eve, a precious gift, a day of blessing, a holy day. But, why? Well, I’ve already suggested some of the reasons. But, let me simply say there’s a complex of reasons, and in terms of the initial Sabbath day, the Creational Sabbath, the first Sabbath, I have at least two major reasons or purposes.

To Glorify God

What we learn about God brethren, from the initial giving of the Sabbath, is that God is sovereign. God made this day. God made time, didn’t He? God made time. You wouldn’t be wearing a watch or looking at a clock or think of a calendar if God had not made time. God made time, and He made seven-day week. Six days you shall labor and there is one day you shall rest. You see, God has the right and the authority to tell us how to spend our time. Right? He has a right to tell you how to spend your money, doesn’t He? He has a right to tell you how to use your body, doesn’t He? And He has a right to tell you how to use your time.

When the billionaire, Bill Gates, was asked why he didn’t believe in God he said, “Just in terms of allocation of time and resource, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on Sunday morning.” Mr. Gates obviously doesn’t believe in God and believes he’s wiser than God. But, he’s obviously not showing himself to be wise, and he doesn’t realize this as well: that he’s answerable to God. He’s answerable to God. He’s accountable to God. God made him. God is his Creator, and God has a right to tell Mr. Gates and everybody else who lives on planet earth how to use your time. He wants you to work six days, and He wants you to rest on one of those seven days. He’s the Creator God. He has the right and the authority. Do you believe in a sovereign God? Do you believe in the absolute sovereignty of God? Well, it seems to me, if you do, you will submit to Him and acknowledge Him as Lord over your life and Lord of your time.

How you treat this day, called the “Sabbath day” in the Old Testament, or we could call it “Lord’s Day Sabbath” in the New Testament, really has something to say about how you view God; how big is your God; how small is your God. Does your God have a right to tell you how to spend your time? Acknowledging God’s day of rest is an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over time. God orders our life by His example: He worked and He rested. The Sabbath day testifies to God’s sovereignty.

Secondly, in terms of bringing glory to God and why God made the Sabbath, the Sabbath day also testifies of God’s goodness. Do you know what word is used over and over again in Genesis 1 with respect to the creation God made? It’s good, right? It’s good; it’s good. Everything God made was good. In Genesis 1:31 we are told everything, everything that He made—God said, “Behold, it was good.” There was nothing that God made that was bad. There was nothing that God made to hurt man or to hinder man. God in creation is showering, He’s spoiling man with all of His gifts: the gift of food, the gift of a home called Eden, the gift of a garden, the gift of work, the gift of marriage, and the gift of a Sabbath day. God is a good God, isn’t He? So wonderful, so marvelously, copiously good to man. And every gift that God gave to man as man testifies to God’s goodness. The gift of marriage says, “God is good.” The gift of work and labor: “God is good.” And the gift of this Sabbath day of worship: “God is good.” Why does God gives us this day? Well, to bring glory to Himself, and to teach us about Himself. He’s absolutely sovereign and He is perfectly good.

To Underscore Man’s Unique Status and Privilege

But, secondly, in terms of why God gave man the Sabbath, here’s the second major reason. I have a third one by the way. Here’s the second major reason: to underscore man’s specialty, or man’s unique status and privilege—think about that. God gave man the Sabbath to underscore man’s specialty, or his unique status and privilege. Jesus’ words need to ring in our ears: “The Sabbath was made for man.” That’s creational terminology. The Sabbath was made for man. Jesus is harkening back to Genesis 2 with that very language. It was given to man as man. It was not given to animals. He didn’t give it to a bird or to a reptile. It was given to man. Man can use it. He can use it intelligently, he can use it purposefully. Man is the only creature that could use it because man is made in the image of God. Man is the only creature that can worship God. Man is the only creature that can talk to God. Man is the only creature that has the capacity to love God. If we were simply a higher form of animal, a brute beast, like the evolutionists love to tell us, the Sabbath day makes no sense. But if we are made in the image of God, if we are that special, then you can understand why God gave man a special day. You see, the day, the Sabbath day, is a special day, but it tells us how special God views man. Man was made in His image.

And think about this: the very first full day (full is the qualifying word) on earth for Adam and Eve would have been a worship day. Think about it. When were they made? At some time on the sixth day. We don’t know exactly when they were made, but on the sixth day. Maybe Adam was made at 10 o’clock that morning, I don’t know. Eve might have been later in the afternoon. But, neither one of them had a full day, even on the sixth day. The first full day that they had is the seventh day, and it’s a worship day. Adam had to go into the hospital for a little bit on that sixth day. Remember? God had to do a surgical operation and extract a rib. But once he got out of the hospital with his wife, he was worshiping God. That was his first full day. Once they got out of the hospital, they were in church. Right? You see, worship isn’t a little tack-on. Worship should be given priority. God puts the Sabbath day on the very front cover of the story of creation because He wants us to understand the priority of worship. The whole passage emphasizes the seventh day as the best day, or the most important day. It’s the day of worship for man.

But let me ask you, do you look forward to this day? Do you prepare for it? Is it the most important day? When I grew up, my dad made us go to church. And I dreaded it. I tried every trick in the book to get out from going to church. It was not a day I looked forward to. But that’s changed. And you know why? God changed my heart. He gave me a new heart; a heart that loves God. And if you love somebody, guess what? You want to spend time with them, don’t you? If you don’t love someone, you run from them. So, here’s the question: do you love God; or do you hate God? How do you look upon His day? Do you enjoy this day? Do you cherish this day? Or, do you tolerate it, and you’d rather be somewhere else on this day? I trust you can say, “I love God and I love His day.” And if you can’t, then that’s indication that you need to be saved. You need Jesus Christ. And Jesus offers Himself to sinners using the very language of a Sabbath, doesn’t He? Think about it. He invites people: “Come unto me…and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28). The only way you can have rest, true rest, true peace, is if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior. What better day to find rest for your soul than on God’s rest day?

Let’s pray:

Father in heaven, we again thank you for the clarity of the Scriptures, and we pray Lord that you would help all of us. We know that at times because of our own remaining sin and corruption that we have not enjoyed this day, and sought to take advantage of it the way we ought to. And so we even ask you to grace us Lord with a greater determination and more of a holy zeal and resolve to love you and to love this day. And we pray these things in Christ’s name.

Amén

1. Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W.H. Thomas & J. Ligon Duncan, Give Praise to God – A Vision for Reforming Worship: Celebrating the Legacy of James Montgomery Boice, P&R Publishing, 2003, pp. 18-20
2. John Murray, Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics, Eerdmans, 1991, pp. 27

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