The Third commandment says, "Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it."

When is the Sabbath? Well, the Sabbath was originally the 7th day of the week, the day in which God rested from the work He had done in creating all that exists. He rested and made the 7th day a holy day of rest, and man was commanded to rest on this day and not do any labor. This is the historical Sabbath, the Sabbath that the Jewish people keep to this very day. However, Jesus spoke of the Sabbath saying, "And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). The Sabbath is not for man to work out his salvation by restful observance, but rather the Sabbath is God's gift to man that he may have rest for not just his body, but for his soul as well.

How does the soul rest? Well, Dr. Martin Luther, of blessed and holy memory wrote in the Large Catechism saying, "But God's Word is the treasure that sanctifies all things. By it all the saints themselves have been sanctified. At whatever time God's Word is taught, preached, heard, read, or pondered, there the person, the day, and the work are sanctified by it, not on account of the external work but on account of the Word which makes us all saints. Accordingly, I constantly repeat that all our life and work must be guided by God's Word if they are to be God-pleasing or holy. Where that happens the commandment is in force and is fulfilled" (Large Catechism I.92).  How does the failed saint, the struggling sinner, find rest for his soul? He finds rest for his soul in the reception of the Word and the Sacraments. How is the sinner declared holy and righteous? By hearing and receiving the declaration of his righteousness in holy absolution. The sinner is sanctified, made holy, and has rest only in receiving God's Word. Where does this happen? In the Divine Service, in daily devotional life, in bible study on Sunday morning and throughout the week. Whenever and wherever God's Word is read, preached, taught, and meditated upon, there the sinner finds rest and is truly a saint of God. When we stay away from God's Word, when we despise the preaching and the preaching, it is not the man we are rejecting, but God Himself. We must not reject God's Word, but gladly hear and learn it, because it God's Word we have our holiness and salvation.

Luther concluded the section on the 3rd commandment saying, "Therefore you must continually keep God's Word in your heart, on your lips, and in your ears. For where the heart stands idle and the Word is not heard, the devil breaks in and does his damage before we realize it. On the other hand, when we seriously ponder the Word, hear it, and put it to use, such is its power that it never departs without fruit. It always awakens new understanding, new pleasure, and a new spirit of devotion, and it constantly cleanses the heart and its meditations. For these words are not idle or dead, but effective and living" (Large Catechism I.100-102).  What joy in knowing that we receive not dead words, just historical words that describe what happened 2,000 years ago. Yes, the account of Jesus death and resurrection is historical and tells us what happened in time and space. However, it is also prescriptive, meaning Jesus' Death and Resurrection are for us, for our salvation, for our forgiveness, for our eternal life. Jesus took all our sin and died in our stead, suffering the full wrath of the Father. In Jesus, we are acquitted, cleansed of all our sins and presented to the Father blameless and righteous.  This is why we must always hear this Word and gladly learn it, because outside of it we have a god of wrath, rather than The God of grace who shows us mercy.

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam be drowned anew so that you hear only the voice of your Savior Jesus who says, "I love you. I forgive you. I claim you as My own forever," Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull