Lutheranism 101 - Part 9 - The 3rd Commandment part 1

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. So what is the Sabbath day and how do you keep it holy? This is what I would call a loaded commandment. It is so loaded in fact that I think we will take two sessions to cover it and that probably won't be enough. This is the one commandment whose meaning was changed with the coming of Christ. That is because the Third Commandment, although part of the moral law also contained aspects of the ceremonial law in it.
In the Old Testament, before the arrival of Christ, this commandment required that the Sabbath be held on the seventh day, which of course was Saturday. It also required that the people do no work on that day; they were to rest and worship God. The word Sabbath itself means rest. This was not an option, this was required. God wanted the people to honor him on that day. The Sabbath also had the purpose of pointing forward to the Messiah or the Christ who was to be the ultimate rest.
When Jesus came as the Messiah he proclaimed himself Lord of the Sabbath. In other words he fulfilled what the Old Testament Sabbath was pointing forward to. After Jesus died on the cross as the final sacrifice there was no longer any need for the sacrficial system or the Sabbath day that supported it. All was fulfilled in Jesus. Therefore the ceremonial aspect of the law was eliminated. Now all that was required was that we gather together to worship God on a regular basis. The commandment also requires that we listen to God's Word and that we support the spread of God's kingdom.
The early church after being thrown out of the Jewish Synagogues began to meet in house churches on Sunday because it was the day that Christ rose from the dead and also the first day of creation. They were not required to do that, but thought it was a good way to honor God. Since then it has become tradition to meet and worship on Sundays. Many churches hold worship services on other days as well.
We break this commandment when we don't attend public worship. Even though there is not a required day to worship or a certain way to worship, we are still called to worship together. We also break this commandment when we don't listen to God's Word or take part in the sacraments. Many people today say they can worship God on the golf course or out camping and that is true, but God still calls us to gather together as the body of Christ and worship as well.
There are some good practical and spiritual reasons that God requires us to gather together for worship. First of all God has called us to carry out his mission to bring more people into the kingdom and then to mature them in their faith. This is accomplished through the church where God gives each individual different spiritual gifts. Some people have the gift of teaching, some hospitality, some kindness or a variety of other things. When all these gifts are brought together mighty things can be accomplished. Secondly we need to gather together to mutually support one another. Living the Christian life in a pagan world can be very hard, so we need to keep each other going. Thirdly it is a witness to the outside world about our faith in Jesus. As people see us gather each week they develop a desire to learn more about Jesus themselves. So yes you can worship God on the golf course, but you are wasting the spiritual gifts God has given you and you are not benefiting from the other people's gifts. You are also not supporting other Christians in their struggles and you are not receiving support for yours. You are also not a very good witness to the Christian faith, because you are saying I would rather be golfing then worshipping God. Plus do you honestly worship God when you are out there? Remember lying is a sin as well.
Here are some verses to look up: Exodus 35:2; Leviticus 23:3; Matthew 12:8; Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:9-10; Acts 2:42, 46; Hebrews 10:25; Romans 14:5-6; Galatians 4:10-11; Acts 20:7; Psalm 26:8; Colossian 3:16

Pastor Fred