This message was preached by Ian Portwine at Word of Grace Church on February 5th, 2017. Ian is one of the elders at Emmanuel Church, Durham, UK. To listen/download the audio please click here.
Genesis 2:1-3 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,
and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he
had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all
his work that he had done in creation.”
The seventh day comes after the first six days of creation. The 6 days of creation fall into two sets-
Forming and Filling. There is a symmetry in the way God Forms and Fills the
earth. First light and darkness were separated and sun, moon and stars were
filled. The sky and waters were separated, and fish and birds were created to
fill it. The dry land and sea were separated, and animals and man were created
to fill it.
There is also poetry
to it. It starts with, and God said... and then he declares that it is
good. On day 7, he completed his work of creation. He then blessed the day and
called it holy. We don’t see an ending to that day. There is no mention of the
sun going down and a new day coming in on the 7th day. There is a debate on whether it is still
the rest of God until today.
Day 7 is the day God was working towards. The two pillars of creation, the forming
and the filling, hold up this day 7. God has been building for himself a
temple of creation and then takes up residence, ceasing from the work of
creation.
Isaiah 66:1-2- “Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and
what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all
these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will
look: he who is humble and contrite in
spirit and trembles at my word.”
In ancient times, if you ask where the gods lived, they
would show a temple. All decisions come
from a temple. He sits there in-charge of everything. It’s his proper place.
He is now enthroned on high and there is no end to that day.
In creation, there is no mention of a Sabbath. The Jews were
very keen on it. In the New testament, they change this Sabbath day from
Saturday to a Sunday to signify the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Rest is not having a
cup of chai. It is to enjoy what he has made. Human kind is the pinnacle of
that creation. He continues to reign as Sovereign Lord. God is in charge of the
world. We have the security that he knows everything and is carrying us through
everything.
Q. What is the
importance of Gathering together?
As people of the new covenant, we don’t have to come to
church. So why must we come together?
1.
God has blessed
this day- There is a dynamic grace when we gather together in unity to
worship
2.
We are
the body and if you’re not here, the body is incomplete. You have a
blessing in being together.
3.
Offering
of time- it’s saying that im trusting in you, my life is about you. Recognising
that he provides for all our needs.
4. Worship and discipleship
5.
Sacraments-
Augustine said, the sacraments are visible
words of God. they are visible signs of what God has done on the inside.
The Sacraments are Baptism and Breaking of Bread.
6.
Mission-
even as we pray together, we are affecting change.
Our working patterns, busyness of life, etc are making it
difficult for us to meet together. But
if you are struggling to make it to church frequently, remember everything that
God has called us to.
Hebrews 4:9-11- “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for
the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his
works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that
no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience”
There is an
invitation for this day. We don’t come to church to get our needs met, but to
respond to God’s love and mercy. This is the God we worship.
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