“Live by the Spirit: The Fourth Commandment”

Bible Text: Genesis 2:1-3 | Preacher: Pastor Mark Verbruggen | Series: Live By The Spirit | In the Fourth Commandment God says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” After
this God give us the reason for this commandment saying, “For in six days the LORD made the
heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” To live within the rhythms of
God’s grace as established in a seven-day week, is to flourish and find delight in this world that
has become the Kingdom of God. In our reading from Genesis 2:1-3, we hear God’s Profession
of Faith in the world and in us who bear his image. It’s all good. God establishes the Sabbath as
a fitting conclusion to the Creation account. However, there’s more.
By itself, Genesis 2:1-3 is both an end and a new beginning. Something is not there on the
seventh day that was there on the other six because it never says, “And there was evening and
there was morning – the seventh day.” The Word of God is silent about time on the seventh day
because the seventh day – the Sabbath – is not about the End, but about a New Beginning. The
Sabbath Day is about a vision and direction for life in this world that will continue until the End.
Therefore, the seventh day – the Day of God’s blessing – continues right up to this present time
and will continue until Christ returns and the Kingdom of God is revealed in fullness and glory.