Isaiah 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: (14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah 58 is a difficult chapter for many to understand. But there is no need for the difficulty. Without question, this chapter was particularly addressed to the Jews during the time of their Babylonian captivity. In it God gave his people some much needed instruction about worship. But, if we limit the text and its interpretation to the Jews, it is meaningless to anyone today. So, that certainly is not the full scope of the chapter.
It is written to us also (Rom. 15:4). In these fourteen verses the Lord God gives us crystal clear instructions about worship today. Indeed, the promises made in verses 8-14 cannot be fully applicable to anyone other than the saints of God in this gospel age who "worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3).
Verses 1-4 show us THE SIN AND FOLLY OF EMPTY RELIGIOUS RITUALS and ceremonies without faith in Christ, the abomination of a mere form of godliness without the power of it.
Isaiah 58:1-4 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (2) Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. (3) Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. (4) Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Verses 5-7 show us that THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP is heart and spirit, mercy and grace, kindness and love. These are the marks of true religion and pure, the evidences of genuine humility and faith.
Isaiah 58:5-7 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? (6) Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? (7) Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Verses 8-12 display THE BLESSEDNESS OF FAITH IN CHRIST and obedience to the gospel.
Isaiah 58:8-12 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. (9) Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; (10) And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: (11) And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (12) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
1. The light and life of free, sure, and everlasting grace (v. 8). "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.""
2. The blessed satisfaction and contentment of faith toward God (v. 9; Phil. 4:12; 1 John 5:14). "Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity."
3. The delightful privilege of usefulness as instruments of mercy and grace in the hands of God (vv. 10-12). "And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." "Thou shalt be a blessing!" (Gen. 12:2).
In our text tonight, verses 13 and 14, the prophet of God, with the inspired vision of prophecy, looks beyond the carnal, Jewish sabbath and sees in it a picture of Christ, who is the true Sabbath, and the blessed rest of faith in him.
NOTE: This becomes obvious when we observe that Isaiah's exhortation – "Call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord," should read, "Call the sabbath a delight the Holy One of the Lord!"
Isaiah 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: (14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.Tonight, I want to answer this question – WHEN CAN WE "CALL THE SABBATH A DELIGHT." I want to talk to you very plainly about true, biblical sabbath observance.
Proposition: Christ is our Sabbath, the holy One of the Lord!
When a person turns from his way, from his sin, from the pleasure of his depraved heart, and from this world to the Lord Jesus Christ, finding rest in him, he finds that Christ, in whom he rests, is a delight, a luxury, and that faith in him is an honor. Indeed, all who trust Christ, delight themselves in him, triumph over all their foes in him, and shall at last obtain the full heritage of the heavenly Canaan, called here "the heritage of Jacob." "For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
Let me show you five things revealed in the Word of God about true, spiritual sabbath observance.
I. First, we need to understand that – THE SABBATH WHICH GOD REQUIRED THE JEWS TO KEEP WAS ONLY A TEMPORARY, TYPICAL ORDINANCE WHICH REPRESENTED CHRIST AND OUR REDEMPTION BY HIM.
When the Lord God instituted sabbath keeping to the Jews in the legal dispensation, he gave two reasons for it. The sabbath was to be kept...
A. AS A SYMBOL OF GOD'S REST (Ex. 20:8-11).Exodus 20:8-11 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: (11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
It represented the completion of God's creation and the satisfaction of God in his work. Though God's work of creation has been marred by the sin and fall of our race, the sabbath day portrayed a blessed day of glorious rest called "the times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21; Col. 1:20; Eph. 1:10), when all things shall be restored to God.
B. The sabbath day was also a constant reminder of Israel's redemption out of Egypt. Hence, A PICTURE OF OUR REDEMPTION BY CHRIST – (Deuteronomy 5:15).
Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
In other words, the sabbath day, like all other aspects of the Mosaic law, was a picture prophecy of our perfect redemption by Christ. As the Jews rested on the seventh day of the week from all their works, so believers find perfect rest and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
II. That brings me to my second point – WE CAN CALL THE SABBATH A DELIGHT ONLY WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT CHRIST IS OUR SABBATH.
We do not observe a literal, legal sabbath day because Christ is our Sabbath, and we rest in him! I know many who pretend to keep a literal sabbath day. Many try their best to delight in legal sabbath work. But I do not know a sabbatarian in the world who really delights in his attempts at sabbath keeping, not a single one.
Sabbath keeping, like animal sacrifices, was a part of the Old Testament law. It has nothing to do with New Testament worship. I know that the sabbath day is frequently mentioned in the four gospels and the Book of Acts, during that transitional period in which the church of God passed from the Old Testament era into the New. However, it is always mentioned in connection with the Jews and Jewish worship in the temple, or in their synagogues. But it is mentioned only two times in all the Epistles – Romans through Revelation.
Colossians 2:16-17 – Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (17) Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Here the apostle Paul forbids the observance of legal sabbath days in any form. He does so on the basis of the fact that in Christ God's elect are entirely free from the law.
Hebrews 4:3-4, 9-11 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.… (9) There remaineth therefore a rest (sabbath) to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
The word "rest" in verse nine is the word commonly translated "sabbath". Notice how it is interchanged with the word rest in this chapter. Here the Apostle shows us that all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ keep the sabbath in a spiritual way. That is to say, they and they only truly keep the sabbath by faith in him, by resting in him.
III. Thirdly, WE CAN CALL THE SABBATH A DELIGHT WHEN WE REALIZE THAT OUR ALL GLORIOUS SAVIOR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, OUR MEDIATOR, HAS ENTERED INTO HIS REST, AND HIS REST IS GLORIOUS, BECAUSE HE HAS FINISHED HIS WORK.
Hebrews 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Our Savior's rest in heaven is glorious and it is his glory – (Margin – "His rest shall be glory!") As God rested on the seventh day because his work of creation was finished, so the God-man our Mediator has entered into his rest in heaven because he has made all things new for him people, having finished his work of redemption.
Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 10:10-14 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (11) And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: (12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (13) From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. (14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Behold our exalted Savior! Do you see him seated upon his throne in heaven? There he sits in undisturbed and undisturbable sovereign serenity! His rest is his glory (John 17:2; Phil. 2:9-11).
Christ, as our Divinely appointed Representative, has fulfilled all the legal sabbath requirements for us, even as he did all the other requirements of the law. Now, in heaven, he is keeping an everlasting sabbath rest (Isa. 53:10-12). And his rest, which is his glory, tells us that...
A. CHRIST HAS FINISHED HIS WORK!There is no more work to be done. Christ did it all! And when all the work was done for us, our blessed Savior entered into his rest. Now, I call that sabbath a delight!
IV. Fourthly, I want to show you from the Scriptures that ALL WHO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST KEEP THE SABBATH BY FAITH, BECAUSE WE HAVE ENTERED INTO HIS REST; AND WE CALL THIS BLESSED SABBATH REST OF FAITH IN CHRIST A DELIGHT, THE DELIGHT OF OUR SOULS!
Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
We do not yet keep the sabbath perfectly, because we do not yet trust our Savior as we should. We do not yet trust him perfectly. But we do keep the sabbath truly and sincerely by faith. Our sabbath observance is not a carnal, literal thing. We do not keep a sabbath day. God forbids that, as I have already shown you (Col. 2:16-17). We keep the sabbath spiritually by faith.
Remember, the sabbath day was ordained by God in the ceremonial worship of the Jews in the Old Testament as a symbol of God's rest after creation and as a reminder of the Jews redemption out of Egypt. The essence of sabbath observation was self-denial and consecration to God. Anything personally profitable or pleasurable was expressly forbidden (Isa. 56:2; 58:13; Ezek. 20:12, 21). Sabbath observance was, in its essence, an unconditional, all-encompassing, self-denial. It was a renunciation of self and a dedication of one's self to God.
That is exactly the way we observe the sabbath spiritually by faith in Christ, not one day in seven, but all the days of our lives. The believer's life is a perpetual keeping of the sabbath!
A. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST GIVES REST TO EVERY SINNER WHO COMES TO HIM IN FAITH.
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Perhaps you are laboring and heavy-laden, under the load of sin and guilt, and you long for rest. In your inmost soul you are struggling hard with sin, longing to find peace with God. If so, will you hear what the Lord Jesus says?
NOTE: When you come to Christ you quit working for God's favor!
Christ gives believing sinners rest, the rest of...B. But our sabbath of faith involves more than a ceasing from our works and the remembrance of our redemption by Christ. IT ALSO INVOLVES, IN ITS VERY ESSENCE, THE CONSECRATION OF OUR LIVES TO OUR DEAR SAVIOR!
Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
We keep the sabbath of faith and find rest unto our souls, when we willfully, deliberately, wholeheartedly surrender to Christ as our Lord. If you would keep the sabbath, truly keep the sabbath, it will take considerably more than going to church on Sunday and reserving one day a week for religious exercises!
1. We keep the sabbath spiritually by...2. When we submit to Christ's dominion, when we bow to his will, we find rest for our souls and "call the sabbath a delight!"
C. HOW CAN A SINNER OBTAIN THIS BLESSED, BLESSED REST?
I can tell you both from experience and from the Word of God, there is only one way for a sinner to enter into the rest I have been talking about – You have got to keep the sabbath! And the only way you can keep the sabbath is by faith in Christ.
Hebrews 4:3-7 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. (5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. (6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (7) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
V. Lastly, let's look at Hebrews 4:9-11 – IF WE PERSEVERE IN THE FAITH, WE SHALL KEEP THE SABBATH PERFECTLY AND IN HEAVEN AND CALL THE SABBATH A DELIGHT FOR ALL ETERNITY.
Notice what the Apostle says in these three verses. Here is the ultimate, consummate fulfillment of the legal, Jewish sabbath.
A. THERE IS A REST, A SABBATH TO BE OBTAINED (v. 9).Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
B. SOME HAVE ALREADY ENTERED INTO THAT ETERNAL REST, THAT EVERLASTING SABBATH (v. 10).
Hebrews 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Without question, as I have already shown you, this speaks of Christ our Mediator. He has entered into his rest. But it also speaks of the blessed rest of faith in Christ and of that glorious rest yet awaiting us in him in heavenly glory.
1. Some could not enter because of unbelief.We will enter therein if we continue in the faith (Phil. 3:7-14).
Philippians 3:7-14 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (8) 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, (9) 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: (10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (12) 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. (13) 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, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Application:The penalty for not keeping the sabbath is still death, eternal death!
John 3:36 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.
1. If you would be saved, you must keep the whole law – obedience and satisfaction!
2. The only way you can keep God's Holy Law is by faith in Christ.3. Come now, cease from your works, and enter into rest – Then, you will join all the saints of God and "Call the Sabbath a Delight."
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