In this Lord's Day, we'll be looking together in the book of Revelation, Revelation 1, verses 1 through 11, mainly focusing on just verse 10, that concept of the Lord's Day that we're being pointed to, but for context, I wanted to read all of verses 1 through 11 of Revelation chapter 1, and then we'll be turning in the Heidelberg Catechism to look at Lord's Day 38. So, Revelation 1, beginning at verse 1, hear now from the Word of the Lord. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place, He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even all that He saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John, to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so, amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty. I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a voice of a loud trumpet saying, write that you see in a book and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus, and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. So ends our reading from the Word of God this Lord's Day. Let us pray that the Lord would bless it before we confess our faith together. Let us pray. Oh God, our Father, we thank You for the revelation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that we have been given in Your Word as Your servants continue to show us the truth of your Word that we may know the testimony of Jesus Christ and be fed by your Word, O Lord. Hear us as we come before you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. And as I said, I ask you to turn to the Heidelberg Catechism as well to question and answer 103, Lord's Day 38, dealing with the Fourth Commandment. It can be found on page 246 in the Forms and Prayers book, and on another page in the back of the Psalter hymnal, I'll be asking the question, and if we want to say the answers together, that would be great. So, Lord's Day 38, question 103, we're asked the question, what is God's will for you in the fourth commandment? First, that the gospel ministry and schools for it be maintained, and that especially on the festive day of rest, I diligently attend the assembly of God's people to learn what God's Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to the Lord publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways. Let the Lord work in me through His Spirit, and so begin in this life the eternal Sabbath. Well, beloved, when we look at the Heidelberg Catechism, sometimes it can be good to ask, why do we? You know, why is this an important document we have? Why do we turn to and confess our faith with things like the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the canons of Dort. I fear too often it can be misunderstood or thought that we have further inspired writings that we're making claims as Reformers that actually go against the Reformation. We don't say these are inspired words that came to Martin Luther, John Calvin, or Sinus, or Olivianus, but rather there's times where at the Reformation we realize that there's a need to summarize the truths of Scripture, that we can't always find the proof text we're looking for. And that's why I thought it was, that struck a chord with me when considering the fourth commandment especially. But because, you know, my text this Lord's Day is really Revelation 1 verse 10, the Lord's Day. And to say that all that we can see about the fourth commandment applying to us when we come together on a Sunday right now, that could be a very far stretch if all I was looking at was Revelation 1 verse 10. But that's where Scripture is so beautiful. It's a mosaic. It's something that works together, that builds upon itself to where the catechism and the confessions of faith are helpful for putting the puzzle pieces together to show us the truth of God's Word. You know, we're taking the exhortation that Paul would give to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4.16. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers. You know, we're called to discern, to reflect upon, to study, and to understand the Word of God. And I say that's an important prelude any time we're talking about the fourth commandment. For there's so much to take away from the law of God and how it still applies to us today. You know, I really wish there was a Revelation 14 verse 1 that said the Sabbath day applied this way on the seventh day of the week. The Christian Sabbath will apply this way on the first day of the week. But sadly, there is no Hebrews 14 verse 1. If you flipped in your Bible hoping to find such a verse, we don't have that. we can't always get a quick answer to what we're looking for, but I say it's very important and is foolish to not take very seriously these words from Revelation 1 verse 10 that he was writing upon the Lord's day. This is the final time we'll see that kind of phrase in Scripture, but not the first where there's clearly a new day where Christians are gathering together with a special day having new meaning. You know, of course, it comes after Christ has chastised the Pharisees as being the Lord of the Sabbath himself. It comes after references to the first day of the week when Christ has risen in the Gospels. And even throughout the book of Acts and even 1 Corinthians 16 verse 2, we see Paul making mention to this idea of a special day, of Lord's Day in the first day of the week. And so when we think of all these pieces throughout the New Testament, it should certainly lead us to pause and reflect all the more on this verse in Revelation 1 verse 10, where just as John is receiving this glorious vision, it is happening upon the Lord's Day. And I certainly say it can be dangerous to make too much out of one single verse, but it can be just as dangerous to ignore what we're being told in Scripture. So what should we make of this Lord's Day that we're looking upon? And how does that help us to reflect on Lord's Day 38 of the Heidelberg Catechism? Well, I'd say it should leave us with a question. What then is the Lord's Day? You know, what is the Lord's Day? What are we to take away from this? And thankfully, I have three points to give the answer. It's a day that was, a day that is, and a day that's to come, a day that evermore shall be. And those are the three things I hope to consider this Lord's Day when we really reflect upon the Lord's Day. It's a day that was. And that's when we're considering the fourth commandment that we've been given with that very word of Sabbath. It certainly was pointing to a day that was the seventh day from creation, the day in this commandment that we're looking at from Exodus 20, a day that affirmed the deliverance of God's people from Egypt and the law that they were given, but a day that really goes back to creation. And so those are the two things when we're even looking back to this commandment that we should pause and reflect upon, that this was the day of the Creator's rest and the day of redemption. It's the day of the Creator's rest. Now, oftentimes in the discussion of creation, we can get caught up in many different topics, right? How long exactly were the six days? What does it mean that all things came out of nothing? What does it mean that we're image bearers as Adam was made in the image of God? There's many discussions on so many things at the time of creation, but I find it shocking how many times we talk about the six days of creation and not the seven days of creation. For God rested on the seventh day. I believe it's part of the creative work we're to consider. For remember, Exodus 20 isn't just a call for you to rest or his people to rest, but the traveler, the servant, even the cattle. It's a call back to creation. It was a restful time for the Lord and all that he had made. That's a good reminder that this command goes back far beyond the tablets of Sinai. This is a command that goes to the very creative act. And the reason that's so important to understand is it has a great deal of meaning when Christ would come and say that he was the Lord of the Sabbath. You know, in Mark 2 and Mark 3, there's moments where the Pharisees are coming and challenging Christ, saying, you know, who does he think he is? How does he dare to eat and heal on the Sabbath? And it's Christ reminding them then that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. That's not just a callback to the law of God, but I say a callback to when the world was formed, to describe the one who was present at the rest in the creative act. When God himself Sabbathed, he rested and blessed the day. So Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath came to fulfill that very idea of rest that the Sabbath was signifying. And it's also the day of people's redemption. Remember, the Ten Commandments comes to us not just in Exodus 20, but also in Deuteronomy 5. And where Exodus 20 is calling us back to creation, Deuteronomy 5 is reminding us that God's people were delivered from Egypt. That's the reference made in the fourth commandment from Deuteronomy 5. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Here we see that this law was not just a call to rest, but also to remember what God had done to save his people and set them free. This too was not only a wonderful reminder that the people of God needed each week, but really a wonderful promise that was looking forward. For think about the history of Israel. Many times where wicked kings rose, many times where they lost their land, many times where they had civil war. But still, every seventh day they were called to remember who their Redeemer was, to remember who had delivered them and would not forsake them. And so too when Christ would come and say that He was the Lord of Sabbath, the Son of Man, He was showing that once and for all these who had been keeping the Sabbath, trusting the promises of God, were seeing how the promises were being fulfilled. For when Christ would say those words, I'm the Lord of the Sabbath, the Son of Man, anybody who knew their scriptures would have been hearing the words of the prophet Isaiah. Because Isaiah in Isaiah 56 said, thus says the Lord, keep justice, do righteousness, for my salvation is about to come and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the Son of Man who lays hold on it, who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and keeps his hand from doing any evil. That's what the Son of God came to do, to show the people that what they'd been looking to, this day that was, this day that God had given from creation and Moses was being completed in Christ's perfect upholding of the law. And that's why we need to understand how this commandment and this day being referenced by John aren't just something that are calling us to look back, but are helping us to realize what it means for us in the here and the now. This is a day that is in the present. For when John speaks, he's giving a current point of reference in verse 10. When he got this vision, he said that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. And I believe we should certainly consider this as something different than the Sabbath. For time and again, John had made reference to the Sabbath throughout his gospel, even towards the end when Christ was coming to the cross in John 19. We're told that the soldiers were going to break the legs so that the criminals would be dead before the Sabbath. So, if John had meant Sabbath here, he would have said Sabbath. But this is the Lord's day, he's stating in Revelation 1 verse 10. And so when we look at this reference point at the opening of Revelation, it's helpful for us to realize that that's what we have now. You know, what some would call the Christian Sabbath, what we do when we gather together to worship on Sunday, the day when Christ rose again from the dead. And when we realize this Lord's Day that we have been given here and now, this present day, it helps us to realize a fuller meaning of rest and redemption. For in being given this day, we can see how it not only applies to one day to rest, but indeed to rest from our sinful ways. I find that very helpful in the Heidelberg Catechism, and if you look at Ursinus' commentary, that's one of the main thing he focuses on, how this isn't just a once-a-week commandment. This is something that applies to us each and every day of our lives, that we're called to rest from the ways of sin. And I'd say this is certainly a good reminder we need for we can run the same risk as the Pharisees with the Sabbath, thinking we uphold this one day so we're good to go, and not realizing how much broader this commandment has meaning for us, a call to rest from every sinful deed in our lives. As Christians, the Sabbath rest is certainly a wonderful description of our whole life. Every day, as question and answer 103 puts it so clearly, every day of my life I rest from my evil ways. Let the Lord work in me through the Spirit. So, this big helpful picture of Sabbath rest doesn't just apply to us on Sunday, but every day. And we can certainly still take this as a call to rest from our work on the Lord's Day as well. You know, to say that this applies to every day of our lives doesn't mean that it doesn't have special meaning when we come together today to worship and rest. I found one theologian very helpful where he spoke about how many stand against viewing the Lord's Day itself Sunday as a day of rest and cite Paul as a contradiction. He points out they appeal to Paul's words in Romans 14 verse 5. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man fully be convinced in his own mind. They also appeal to Galatians 4, 10 and 11, but the context of Paul's words in both cases is the danger of Judaizing. In Romans 14, Paul's discussing foods as well as days. He's discussing the Jewish dietary laws in the Jewish calendar of holidays and saying that Christians are free either to observe or do away with such arrangements of the Old Covenant. Paul's not speaking abstractly about days. He's arguing that Christians are not bound to observe the special days of the Old Covenant. Paul's words are not a contradiction to John's teaching that there is a day that belongs in a special way to the Lord in the New Covenant. And I wanted to highlight that to bring attention to the fact that we certainly don't want to risk appealing to and returning to Old Testament ceremonial law when we're speaking of the Lord's day. But we need to ask, what does this day still call us to do? Well, it should still be viewed as a helpful day of rest, for we're not merely looking back to the guidance of Moses, nor even just the design of creation. As Christians, we're not looking forward. We're looking for the rest on the Christian Sabbath that will be eternal rest when we come to glory. But that's my third point, so I don't want to say too much more than that. But the same can be said when we're thinking of the fuller meaning of redemption on this Lord's Day when we come together. For we're no longer simply called to look back to the deliverance from Egypt, from foes of the past. Rather, every week we're called to see the fulfillment of redemption, full deliverance in Jesus Christ. This Christian Sabbath, remember, beloved, began with an empty tomb on the first day. That's why it has new meaning for we who believe in Christ. And I don't believe it was a mistake that it was still the first day in John 20 when the disciples gathered together and Christ appeared before them. You know, I found it very interesting the way Cyril of Alexandra comments on John 20 and ties it in with these words in Revelation. You know, he said, John is not content with simply saying that Christ manifested himself to the holy disciples, but explains that it was after eight days and that they were gathered together. For what else can their being all brought together in one house mean? This points out the diligent care that the apostle so admirably displays. And because Christ hereby has made clear unto the occasion of our assembling and gathering ourselves together on his account, for he visits and in some sort dwells with those assembled together for his sake, especially on the eighth day, that is the Lord's day. Isn't that a very wise analysis? To say that even with the disciples being approached in the upper room, we're already pointed to a call to worship on the first day. And that's certainly the main aspect of this day we're seeing in question and answer 103, right? The idea of worship, looking to the Lord as the Redeemer, that the gospel ministry and schools for it be maintained, and that especially on the festive day of rest, I diligently attend the assembly of God's people to learn what God's Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to the Lord publicly, and to bring Christian offerings to the poor. How amazing, beloved, to consider how from this very first day of the disciples gathering together, we as God's people are still coming together today as those no longer merely called to look back, but on the first day to look forward to another day of worship, another week that the Lord is preparing for us. And when we come to hear and praise our Lord, to longingly gaze forward for that day when worship and rest will never cease, And that's the third thing we should consider whenever we hear this commandment. It's giving us hope that we're on a journey to the eternal Sabbath that will never end. This is a day that will be forevermore. Now, as we think of the verse from Revelation 1 verse 10, I don't think for a second that's what John is referencing. He's speaking of the day he wrote the book, but I don't think it's a mistake that the rest of John's book has to do with the eternal Sabbath, where he's telling us about when Christ will come again, and we will be dwelling in a Lord's day, the eternal day that shall never end. And even question and answer 103 makes reference to this, right? When it says, so begin in this life the eternal Sabbath. And when we realize that, beloved, I say it gives these very days of worship when we gather together all the more meaning. For we're reminded how each time we say this will be a day of rest, this will be a day of worship. We're looking forward to a time of eternal rest and eternal worship. Now, to speak of eternal rest should not be misunderstood. You know, it doesn't mean that we should view heaven the way the comic books too often do as a place of golf courses and resorts and just ease and fishing and doing whatever thing you find fun here. And it certainly shouldn't just be seen as a great long nap. You know, that's not the kind of rest we're talking about when we're looking to glory. Eternal rest is a rest from all difficulties, a rest from the power of sin, a rest from the power of Satan and from death itself, an eternal rest that will never cease. And we see this in the picture of the new heavens and the new earth at the end of Revelation. Revelation 21 verse 4, we're told God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, no sorrow, no crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. What a day to long for, beloved. Eternal rest from all our burdens, where there will be no such thing as aches or pains or even aging. no hunger, no thirst, no sleepiness. There will be no more sin, no temptation. Satan will not have an approach to come after us. We'll have no reason to cry, beloved. We'll never lose another loved one. Death will be gone forevermore. We'll have nothing to worry about. Nothing to keep us up at night. No fear of insomnia for no need for sleep. What a beautiful picture of rest, sleeplessness that will bring rest. Its gates will never be shut by day. There will be no night there, we're told in Revelation 21. For we will be resting from all our burdens forevermore. All God's people shall be one, joined in this eternal rest, and with this concept of rest, we'll be joined together in worship. You know, the next time we find the same word for day in the book of Revelation comes in Revelation 4, verse 8, where the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. What a great reminder, beloved, that we shall be coming to the fullness of worship and glory with nothing to argue about, right? Nothing to worry about, never having to fear being sick or too busy to make it. No conflicts ever standing in the way of worship. No holiday weekend plans that might keep us from coming to the means of grace. Our existence shall be glorious worship that will never cease. And so when we consider this eternal worship, it should make us long for that day and continue to call out, come Lord Jesus, come. For this sense of eternal worship and rest, first of all, gives us hope as aliens that this is not our final home. When we come together, it's a bunch of sojourners gathering together, trusting that this is not the end of the race. And so even in times when we're fighting, failing, or falling again into the paths of sin and misery, we know where we're going. We're going to worship Him. And secondly, the idea of eternal worship should give us motivation. It helps us to realize that the closest taste we have of glory as aliens is when the Lord calls us together as a body of believers to praise His name as we are this very day. And so let us thank God Almighty for giving us this day. And until that day when we shall be in worship and rest forevermore, let us continue to thank the Lord that He still calls us to worship Him. Already He has given us this great day. And let us hear the words from our Savior as a great comfort and indeed a call to worship, come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And let us continue to answer that call, beloved, as we rest and worship our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Let us pray together. Father, we count ourselves blessed this day as we've heard your word read aloud. we're blessed as those you call to keep it, to hear it, and to look forward to the fulfillment of its promises. Come, Lord Jesus, come and hear us for his sake. And all God's people said, amen.