Chapter 63
The Sabbath
That Remains
“There
remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us
labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief.” -- Hebrews 4:9-11
Sabbath keeping is not a matter of indifference. It
is not one of those areas about which the Scriptures give no specific
instructions. In fact, the instructions given in the Word of God about sabbath
keeping are very specific and clear.
Like
circumcision, the passover, and all other aspects of legal, ceremonial worship
during the Old Testament, the legal
sabbath day was established by our God to be a sign, picture, and type of grace
and salvation in Christ. This is not a matter of
speculation and guesswork. This is exactly what God says about the matter in
Exodus 31:13. -- “Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between
me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.”
Forbidden Ordinances
Because sabbath keeping was a legal type of our
salvation in Christ during the age of carnal ordinances, like the passover and
circumcision, once Christ came and fulfilled the type, the carnal ordinance
ceased. In the New Testament, we are strictly and directly forbidden to keep
any of those carnal ordinances. In fact, we are plainly told that those who
attempt to worship God on the grounds of legal ordinances are yet under the
curse of the law. They have not yet learned the gospel.
Circumcision
is forbidden as an ordinance of divine worship (Gal. 5:2, 4). Those who have their babies
sprinkled to bring them into the church and kingdom of God, to seal them into
the covenant of grace, attempting to retain the carnal ordinance of
circumcision, by their act of sprinkling that child deny the gospel of
salvation by grace alone. They deny the necessity of heart circumcision by the
Spirit of God[1].
Passover
observance is forbidden since Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). Those
who continue to offer up sacrifices to God, either for atonement, or penance,
or to gain a higher degree of divine favor, or to prevent his anger, by their
sacrifices deny that Christ’s death at Calvary was an effectual satisfaction
for the sins of his people. If something must be added by me to his blood and
his righteousness, then his blood and his righteousness are totally useless.
In
exactly the same way, those who attempt to sanctify themselves by keeping a
carnal sabbath deny that Christ is enough to give us perfect acceptance with
the thrice holy God. As Paul puts it in Colossians 2:23, they make an outward show of
spirituality and wisdom; but it is all will-worship. Such pretenses of humility
are nothing but the satisfying of the flesh. Not only that, the whole matter of
sabbath keeping is strictly forbidden by the Holy Spirit in Colossians 2:16-17.
Since the Lord Jesus Christ has, by his death at Calvary, blotted out the
handwriting of the ordinances that was against us, since he nailed God’s broken
law to the cross and put away our sins, he alone is our Sabbath. We rest in
him. All carnal sabbath keeping, any form of it, is strictly forbidden on the
basis of the fact that in Christ all true believers are totally free from the
law (Rom. 7:4; 10:4).
The Sabbath that Remains
Yet, the New Testament does speak of a sabbath
keeping that remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:9-11.) The children of
Israel perished in the wilderness because of unbelief. They could not enter
into God’s typical rest in the land of Canaan; they could not enter into that
typical picture of God’s salvation because of unbelief (Heb. 4:1-6).
Though
that unbelieving generation perished in unbelief, the purpose of God was not and
could not be hindered. There is an elect multitude who must and shall enter
into his rest (Heb. 4:6). However, that typical rest given by Joshua in the
land of Canaan was not the rest purposed and purchased for God’s elect. It was
only typical of that blessed rest of faith that is ours in Christ (Heb. 4:7-8).
It is
this remaining sabbath rest that is discussed in Hebrews 4:9-11[2].
The Scriptures declare, and declare very plainly, that the Old Testament
sabbath day finds its fulfilment and complete accomplishment in Christ. All
true believers, all who trust Christ keep the sabbath by faith in him.
Christ’s Rest
First, the Holy Spirit here
declares that The Lord Jesus Christ has
entered into his rest, and his rest is glorious, because he has finished his
work (Isa. 11:10; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Rom. 8:34; Heb.
10:11-14), and his rest is glorious, just as Isaiah 11:10 declared it would be.
Our Savior’s rest in heaven is his glory. In fact, as indicated by the marginal
translation of the last sentence of Isaiah 11:10, his rest is his glory.
As God
the Father rested on the seventh day, because his work of creation was
finished; so God the Son rested in the seventh day of time and entered into his
rest forever, because he has finished his work of making all things new for his
people (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 10:11-14).
Read
Matthew 28:1. This is a very remarkable verse of Scripture. I wish all who read
these lines could read this text in its original language. – “In the end of
the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”
The verse
quite literally reads, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to
dawn toward the sabbath.” I take the verse to mean this: -- When the Lord Jesus Christ died at Calvary
and rose again, the old sabbath of the law ended and the new sabbath of grace
began. I cannot conceive any other interpretation of Matthew’s words.
Behold
our exalted Savior! Do you see him seated yonder upon his throne in heaven?
There he sits in the undisturbed, undisturbable
serenity of his absolute sovereignty! His rest is his glory (John 17:2; Phil.
2:9-11; Isa. 45:20-25). He has finished his work (John 17:4; 19:30). He has
brought in everlasting righteousness by his obedience and obtained eternal
redemption by his blood. Because Christ has finished his work, the salvation of
his people is certain (Heb. 9:12). The works were finished before the
foundation of the world in God’s purpose. They were finished in time when the
God-man took his seat in heaven as our forerunner (Heb. 6:20). There is no more
work to be done. Christ did it all. Since he has finished his work, he sat down
in his glory. There he is resting; and his rest is his glory!
Sinner’s Rest
Second, the Holy Spirit declares
that every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ keeps the sabbath by
faith by entering into his rest (Heb. 4:3, 9-10). – “For we
which have believed do enter into rest…There remaineth therefore a rest to the
people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from
his own works, as God did from his.” We keep the sabbath of faith, a
spiritual sabbath, not a carnal one. We rest in Christ, trusting his finished
work, by faith entering into his rest.
The believer’s life is a
perpetual keeping of the sabbath. None
of us keeps it perfectly. Our best faith in this world is still unbelief. But
we do keep this blessed sabbath rest sincerely, ever looking to Christ, ever
coming to Christ, ever resting in Christ (Matt. 11:28-30).
Our
all glorious Christ gives rest to every sinner who comes to him in faith. He
says, “Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
“I heard the voice of Jesus
say,
‘Come unto me and rest,
Lay down, thou weary one,
lay down
Thy head upon my breast.’
I came to Jesus as I was -
Weary, and worn, and sad:
I found in Him a resting
place,
And He has made me glad!”
The Lord
Jesus Christ has given and continually gives us rest. He gives us the rest of
complete pardon (Isa. 45:22; Eph. 1:6), perfect reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:17;
Col. 1:20-21), absolute security (John 10:27-30; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:24), and
of his special providence (Rom. 8:28).
As
the ceremonial sabbath of the law portrayed a strict, universal consecration to
God, so this blessed sabbath of faith involves the perpetual consecration of
ourselves to our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 11:29-30). We keep the sabbath of faith when we willfully,
deliberately take the yoke of Christ. If we would keep the sabbath, it involves
much, much more than living in religious austerity one day a week. To keep the
sabbath is to bow to Christ’s dominion. To keep the sabbath is to learn of him
what to believe, how to live, what to do, how to honor God. To keep the sabbath
is to bow to his will.
How
can a troubled, weary, heavy-laden, tempest tossed sinner obtain this blessed
sabbath rest? I
can tell you, both from experience and from the Word of God, there is only one
way we can enter into his rest. We have
to quit working! We have to trust Christ alone for everything!
Labor To Enter In
Third, we
must labor to enter into that great, eternal rest of glory with Christ in
heaven. “Let
us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief” (Heb. 4:11). There is a
great, eternal sabbath to be obtained. “There remaineth therefore a rest
(a sabbath) to the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). -- An Eternal Remembrance
of Redemption -- An Eternal, Perfect Consecration to Christ -- An
Eternal Rest!
Some
have already entered into that rest. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath
ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Heb. 4:10). I have
already shown you that this refers to Christ as our covenant Surety and
Mediator; but it also refers to all God’s elect. There are many who cannot
enter in because of unbelief. They simply cannot give up their own works as a
grounds of righteousness before God.
Those who have entered into
their heavenly rest have ceased from their own works. Their days of labor and
toil are forever ended. They now serve God night and day, perfectly and without
end; but there is no toil or labor involved in their service. Those who have
entered into the blessed rest of faith in Christ have also ceased from their
own works. They have quit trying to win, keep, or improve standing in God’s
favor by their own righteousness. Believers simply trust Christ alone for
righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:7-10). Then, there are some who “must enter therein.” There is an elect multitude of redeemed
sinners who yet must enter into this blessed rest.
“Let us therefore labor (strive) to
enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief!” I cannot think of a better way to expound those words than by taking the
words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:7-14 for an inspired commentary on
them.
“But what things were gain to
me, those I counted loss for Christ. -- Yea doubtless, and I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may
win Christ, -- And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is
of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith: -- That I may know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto
his death; -- If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
-- Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I
follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus. -- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, -- I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The
penalty for not keeping the sabbath is still death. “He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). If we would be
saved we must keep and satisfy the whole of God’s law. There is only one way we
can do that. We keep the law by faith in Christ, only by faith in Christ. “Do
we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law”
(Rom. 3:31). Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ we offer the holy Lord God
everything his holy law demands: -- perfect righteousness and perfect
satisfaction. Come to Christ and rest forever! This is the sabbath that
remains.
[1] I do not suggest that all who practice infant sprinkling, calling it the New Testament equivalent of circumcision, know that their popish practice implies such a denial of the gospel; but the implication cannot be denied. It is as clear a denial of the gospel as the papists’ mass.
[2]
The word “rest,” which is used over
and over and over in Hebrews 3 and 4, means to repose back, to lay down, to be
at peace, to cease from work, to be at home. But, the word translated “rest”
in verse nine is an entirely different word. The word here translated rest
means “sabbatism,”
or “a keeping of a sabbath.”