Reflections Upon the Fourth Commandment

Often I am offered the opportunity to address the question as to whether it is sinful for the believer to make a practice of skipping corporate worship services. To be sure, the question does not always present itself that way. Usually, their practice of skipping worship services is defended by one of two tacks: a) I can worship the Lord by myself, studying the Bible and praying; and b) I get together to talk to other believers regularly,therefore I am not 'forsaking the assembling.'

Until recently, about the best Scriptural point I was able to make was simply quoting Hebrews 10:25 (alluded to above) "not forsaking our own assembling together." But at the risk of sounding self-serving (after all, pastor's love it when everyone shows up for church), I will attempt a humble defense of the necessity of the corporate worship service for the life of the church.

At the most basic level, it has become ever clearer to me as I look both at the whole of Scripture and at the principle of the Sabbath, that taking a day to 'rest' is important for our spiritual well-being and growth. We were not designed to run busily day-in, day-out with no end in sight. The Lord, in His wisdom, established by example for us the rhythm, work six, rest for one.

In the New Testament, this day of rest has been shifted, from the seventh day (Saturday) to the first day (Sunday), to celebrate the day on which our Lord was resurrected. Further, because Christ is the 'end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,' we are not bound to the specific dictates of the law. Even so, the principle of the Sabbath (made for man, that is for our good) reflects the design and designs of our Creator, and if we are to be obedient to Him, we will make it a regularpractice to keep a day of rest.

But what about church attendance? Surely a believer can celebrate the Sabbath principle by resting in his or her boat, or in the woods, or at home in front of the television (perhaps watching one of those tv preachers), can't he? The answer is yes . . . and no. Certainly we can rest in the physical sense anywhere that is relaxing (even in the back row at church). But is that all there is to resting? The answer is no. We will answer this at two levels.

First of all, the idea of 'rest' is prominent throughout the Scriptures. It is a promise of the Lord to His people, 'I will give you rest.' The idea of rest included peace (not being at war with our enemies (Deu 25:19)), provision (not being at war with the sin-cursed land (Gen. 5:29; Lev. 25:2-6; Lev. 25:19-22)), and worship (the Sabbath is 'holy to the Lord' (Exo 20:8-11, Exo 31:15; Psa 92). This makes it clear that the idea of a Sabbath-rest is not just 'taking it easy,' but is focused on the Lord. It is a day set aside for corporate worship. A brief reflection on Psalm 92, a Psalm with the subtitle "a Song for the Sabbath Day" highlights the God-centered focus of a Sabbath-rest. "It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High," the psalmist begins. The worship described in Psalm 92 includes musical instruments and singing (vss. 1-4), and concludes with public adoration to the Rock of our salvation.

Further, Jesus calls us to come to Him to receive rest. Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 11, 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." To this, the author of the book of Hebrews proclaims that there 'remains a sabbath rest for the people of God' (Heb. 4:9). From this we see that Christ is the sabbath rest for God's people. When we come together to worship corporately (a practiced rather assumed in the NT than commanded), we are celebrating the rest we have in Jesus. We are worshipping Christ, and this is 'resting' at the highest order. A Sabbath-rest is, at its core, Christ-focused worship.

In contrast, many of the rest-activities with which we engage ourselves on this 'day of rest' are not Christ adoring, but self serving. Can we honestly say that most of the activities we choose to engage in on Sunday instead of being involved in corporate worship are Christ-centered, Christ-exalting activities? Probably not.

What about the second alternative, the idea that we simply stay home on Sunday mornings, reading our bibles, praying and maybe catching a re-run of Billy Graham on tv? Isn't this an adequate expression of the idea of the Sabbath rest? Again, I believe the best answer to this question is no. First of all, in Leviticus 23, the Lord describes the occasions on which there was to be a 'holy convocation,' that is, a holy gathering of thepeople of God. The very first date on the list was the 'sabbath day' (Lev 23:3). This was a public, corporate worship service. Secondly, Jesus Himself made a habit of being in the Synagogue on the Sabbath day (Luke 4:16). Third, the practice of the early church (people, not building) was to gather together regularly for worship that included the public reading of Scripture, teaching by the elders, singing songs, hymns and spiritual songs, giving, the celebration of the Lord's table (communion), prayer and fellowship(Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; 1 Cor. 11, 1 Cor. 14; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). Even further, we are commanded to carry out the 'one another' commands of the New Testament (of which there are about 50). How are we able to fulfill those commands if we never meet? We can't.

Thus we are commanded to meet together, to worship together, to exalt Christ together through song, prayer and the teaching of the word of God. There are, however, two cautions I would add. First, the keeping of the sabbath principle is not a legalistic requirement in order to earn favor with God. It is to be a joyful celebration of all that God is for us in Christ. Second, this is not a prohibition from ever missing church. We live only by His grace. Being involved with a worship service should be our habit andour joy.

But there are situations that occasionally call us away from worship. There are many people, for example, who are scheduled by their employer to work on Sunday morning. What should they do? First, attend regular worship services as often as you can. Ask the Lord for a change in your schedule. Second, seek an alternate time to worship. This could be as simple as a regular Bible study of which you are a part. Some churches offer more than one worship service of which you can be a part. If not Sunday morning, then Sundayevening or Saturday evening. Third, take another day to rest. For me, and for many pastors, Monday has become my day of rest. Make certain that you take time both to rest physically and spiritually, for your own growth and joy in Christ.

I will close with the encouragement of Psalm 92 for your day.

Psalm 92:1 A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day. It is good to givethanks to the LORD And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness bynight,
3 With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, With resounding music uponthe lyre.
4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing forjoy at the works of Your hands.
5 How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep.
6 A senseless man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid man understand this:
7 That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquityflourished, It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.
8 But You, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, For, behold, Your enemies will perish;All who do iniquity will be scattered.
10 But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have beenanointed with fresh oil.
11 And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes, My ears hear of theevildoers who rise up against me.
12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like acedar in Lebanon.
13 Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courts of ourGod.
14 They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap andvery green,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is nounrighteousness in Him.