Hearing and Learning    The Third Commandment:

God commanded: remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Luther explained that this meant, "We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it."
 

How do we get from the Sabbath day to honoring the Word?

The first step is to remember what the Sabbath day was. It was a day God set aside as a required day of rest and worship in the Old Testament for the chosen people, the Hebrews. God had created the earth in six days and on the seventh He rested, so the seventh day was commanded as the sabbath.

Leviticus 23:3 You may work for six days each week, but on the seventh day all work must come to a complete stop. It is the Lord's Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day to assemble for worship. It must be observed wherever you live.

The second step is to ask if we are still required to observe the Sabbath as were the Hebrews. From Scripture we learn that this first sabbath existed as a sign to point us to our true sabbath, Jesus Christ. He is our Savior. In Him we have true rest and true communion with God.
 
 

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Col. 2:16-17 So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.

The third step is then to ask how this commandment gives the people of Christ guidance for their lives. From Scripture we see that God still desires His people to gather for worship, but that he has not commanded a certain day. We also see the importance of studying God’s Word.

Hebrews 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

Acts 2:42 They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer.

Romans 14:5-6 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter. Those who have a special day for worshipping the Lord are trying to honor him.

The reason that the Christian church generally worships on Sunday, is in commemoration of the day on which Christ rose from the dead, for Christ came to give eternal life.

Oops, did I break it?

We sin against this commandment in a variety of ways.

The Bible, the world’s most dusty book?

Ask yourself, how long has it been since you took a good deep look into God’s Word for your own life? The Bible speaks only when its pages are open and being heard. Each Christian has the ability to tell God to shut up, simply by leaving the Word closed on the shelf.

The Bible, the world’s most ignored book?

How many times have you turned off someone you did not want to listen too? We need to honestly ask ourselves how often do we not listen to God because we do not want to hear what He has to say. God has a way of making us face the truth, and there are two kinds of truth in God’s Word, pleasant truth and unpleasant truth. Sometimes God will touch us with the Words of His law, His judgment, and show us just how much failure there is in our life. His Word will make us face ourselves, how we let others down, ourselves down, and especially God down. But the sweet Word of God’s grace is the most pleasant of truths, for it speaks to our stricken heart that in spite of our sin we are accepted. No, it is not our sin that is accepted, it is our sin that is forgiven. Reading God’s Word is like growing up. We face the truth and confess our sin and having it forgiven leave it behind for a better way of life with insight into what true life is about from God’s Word. God is our Father who parents us with love.

But I’m so busy. . . .

Let’s face it, we do have a busy world. We have lots of options. We have to set our priorities. Is learning and growing in the knowledge of God’s mercy a priority for us?

Good News for sinners:

God wants to talk to you. He wants to tell you of His grace and mercy. He wants to tell you that He love you and forgives you and makes you His own. It all happens through the death of His Son Jesus for our sins. We hear about it through His Word, delivered to us when we read and study Scripture and when we attend worship to hear the Word spoken and to receive His grace in the sacraments.

It is good news to know that God’s Word is a powerful word. It is not just someone’s opinion about what God is all about; it is God’s very Word. It reveals to us our Savior so that we may believe and so have eternal life. {John 20:31}

The Word of God is a blessing to us in whatever way it comes into our lives, whether through private study, hearing it on the radio, or especially as it is spoken and meditated upon in Divine Worship.

Luke 11:28 He replied, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice."

Ask yourself, what are some ways you can take advantage of God’s Word for your own life?

The Bible is designed by God to be an open book. When we study His Spirit comes to us to help us see, learn, and grow.

John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
 
 

"The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. Isaiah 55:10-11

 

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Rev. David D. Reedy 2002

 

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church   

Dayton Tennessee   

423.775.4253

Prince of Peace is a LCMS congregation located in Rhea County Tennessee, serving the entire county of some 32,000 people.