The Fourth Commandment – Sunday, October 28, 1984
One of the more interesting and important aspects of the Ten Commandments is that they are as valid today as they were when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. We need to be reminded from time to time of their application today, of the need to still keep the Lord’s commandments and observe His teachings.
Perhaps one of the least observed commandments by today’s generation is the Fourth: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God…”
The commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy has never been rescinded. The Lord gave the day as a gift—a day of rest, a day for good deeds and kindness, a day to withdraw from the concerns of the workaday world, a day to enter into the fulfilling world of the spirit. It should be the best day of the week. But for too many, the Sabbath is just another day—another day of business or another day of play.
Perhaps there is a connection here between that attitude and a recent national poll which suggests a lack of religious strength in America…a glaring lack of knowledge about the Ten Commandments and the basic tenets of our religious heritage.
Religion provides meaning and direction in life. But many people become so immersed in daily life that they ignore eternity. They look no further than their next paycheck, or to the next weekend Sunday outing.
Without a foundation of spiritual value our lives become hollow, meaningless and empty. The law of Christ is the law of inner perfection—of overcoming weaknesses, of motivating ourselves to higher performance and spiritual commitment. Such laws help us set proper goals and define our values.
The Sabbath day is a day set aside to do that—a day to help us better understand our purpose on Earth.
All faiths agree. We need a quiet time and place in which to see ourselves as part of the great pattern of things, to measure ourselves and our activities. It reminds us we are not alone, that a higher intelligence has designed our course. As we communicate with the Lord, we receive the blessing of peace, and with it the renewal of strength. This peace and strength give our lives a truer perspective of what is and what is not important.
The Sabbath provides an opportunity for inward searching and outward humbling of self. If we commit ourselves to keeping that day holy…to worshipping our Father in Heaven, we will find our lives expanding and our happiness growing.
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October 28, 1984
Broadcast Number 2,880