Fourth Commandment (4 Of 12)

It seems that one of the easiest things in this world to do is follow the crowd and let others do our thinking for us.

The lost world is convinced we are so dumb we can not think for ourselves.

For example, we cannot even listen to the president of the United States address this nation on television with out the news media telling us what he said during his speech. The news media assumes we can not think for ourselves, so they tell us what the president said.

We are constantly being told what we are to think and how we are to live our life.

Satan wants us think like the world, so he has cleverly brainwashed the average person so now he is accustomed to allowing everyone to do his thinking for him.

When God delivered the children of Israel from bondage and allowed them to enter the promised land, He gave them the ten commandments because He wanted them to govern their lives by them. He did not want them to listen to anyone else.

Look at the fourth commandment that the Lord gave to the children of Israel.

Look at Exodus 20:8-10, we read "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”

People of the world have secularized everything, including the Lord's day! Christian are being squeezed into their mold.

Greedy merchants, who worship the almighty dollar, are taking God's day and making it like any other day.

Let me give you an example.

Illus: Years ago in the State of South Carolina they had the “Blue Laws”. The laws forbid most stores from opening on Sunday. Some politicians who were being pressured by greedy merchants began to appear on the evening news to tell us that those laws were archaic and should be done away with. Lost people who did not honor God or His day joined right in and began to talk about doing away with those laws. Well, they did away with the “Blue Laws” while claiming those who did not wish to work on Sundays would not have to. However, merchants have gone back on their word. Now we hear citizens of this state saying, "I was told if I would not work on Sunday I would loose my iob.” All across this nation, young people, and adults alike, who were once in church on God's day now have to work to please the boss man, instead of pleasing God. That is, unless they are willing to quit their jobs and trust the Lord to give them jobs that do not force them to work on Sundays.

KEEPING HIS DAY IS NO SMALL THING WITH GOD!

When He gave them the ten commandments for the purpose to tell them this is how they were to live their life, He included His instructions about the Lord’s day.

When He gave this fourth commandment, He was saying that He had a certain way He wanted them to live their life.

HOW WAS THAT?

To "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Let’s look at-

I. THE COMAND.

Again, what is the command? "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

A. Look at the word, “remember.”

Many are quick to point out that one can worship God anytime, or anyplace.

While that is true, God, in His wisdom, saw fit to designate a particular day for worship and worship only. Why?

Two reasons:

1. PHYSICAL REASONS.

God designed our bodies so that they need certain times of rest.

Smart corporation recognize that.

For example, The Ford Motor Company on one occasion went back to the six day work week. “Company spokesman said that seven days of toil had its ill effects on workers.” -Moody Monthly

Satan knows if he can get people all worn out physically he can bring them down easily spiritually.

Illus: Every seventh day is a Sunday, therefore: every seven years one lived a full year of Sundays.

• A person 21 years old has had 3 years of Sundays.

• A person 35 has had five years of Sundays.

• A person 70 has had 20 years of Sundays.

If a person has spent these Sundays by keeping them “Holy” as God commanded, he is in better shape physically and spiritually than he would have been without them.

The lost world will try to squeeze us into their way of thinking. But we need one day a week to cease from all that we do during the week to re-gain our strength and clear our minds of the things we have to deal with in the other six.