 Exodus, chapter 31, verses 12 through 18. If you're visiting with us, we spend time in the Bible. We work through books of the Bible. This week, we're in the book of Exodus. For our call to worship, we'll be in the book of Exodus for a call to repentance, a call to worship through giving. This morning, as we begin, we want to orient our hearts and minds toward the worship of God. We want to hallow him in our sight. Exodus, chapter 31, beginning in verse 12. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak also to the children of Israel, saying, surely my Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death. For whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath rest holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. When he had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone written with the finger of God. This is the word of God, amen. Amen. In this section of the book of Exodus, the Lord is instructing his people with respect to how to worship him, how to worship him in spirit and in truth. And in every section here, the Lord is communicating to the people in exacting detail how they are to craft the Ark of the Testimony in chapter 25, the table for the showbred, the golden lampstand. Very exact specifications are given for the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus chapter 26, the altar of burnt offering in chapter 27, the court of the Tabernacle, the priestly garments in chapter 28. They are to consecrate the priests for worship in chapter 29, prepare the altar of incense and the bronze laver in chapter 30. And now with the place of their worship prepared and with the pattern of their worship established, the Lord turns his focus now toward the people. And the proper worship of God's people is impossible apart from a faithful observance of the Sabbath. I want us to make that connection. The proper worship of God's people is impossible apart from a faithful observance of the Sabbath. Notice first with me, the Sabbath day is a sign, verse 13. Surely my Sabbaths you shall keep or observe, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations so that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. So it would be a sign to them, a sign distinguishing them from all the other nations of the world, certainly. It would be a sign of the devotion and duty and worship that they owe to God under the covenant. And if we in faith observe this day, it would be a sign that God himself had inclined their hearts toward him, separating us, separating them as his own special people, the apple of his eye, and be assigned by which we know that the Lord has set us apart. So the first point is the Sabbath day is a sign. Notice second, Sabbath observance involved the penal sanction, involved the sanction, verse 14. Everyone who profanes this day, everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death, for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Notice in verse 14 that to profane it is to do common work on it, right? Verse 15, whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. That judicial penalty, the death penalty, was for Israel as a nation under the theocracy. Now those penalties aren't binding on us today, we're not under the theocracy. The ceremonial laws associated with the Sabbath have been fulfilled by Jesus Christ, but the Lord includes Sabbath observance in his moral law. It's the fourth commandment. There is a penal sanction associated with violating those commands, isn't there? And the 10 commandments are for God's people, for all of God's people, for all of time. And this is included there in the 10 commandments. So for our good, God commands us once a week that we cease from common work. It doesn't mean to cease from all activity, but from common activity, our usual activity, we're to cease from that common work in order to worship him. The word Shabbat means to cease or to rest, namely rest or cease from our common or regular work. So why is such a severe penalty given for Israel under the Mosaic covenant for violating this command? Failing to faithfully set aside this day is essentially saying to God, I don't have time for you or you're not worth my time. I don't want any part of God's promises to his people. I'm not part of the covenant. It's essentially saying I want no part of God or the worship of God. Notice third, the Sabbath observance is a picture of our salvation. Sabbath day is a sign. The Sabbath observance involved a sanction. Third, the Sabbath observance is a picture of our salvation. Verse 17, it is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever because in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. A Sabbath day observance was certainly included under the law for Israel, but it's also included under the moral law which applies to all of God's people. And notice that the reason given for this is rooted in God's example at creation. In other words, the command is timeless, isn't it? It's for all of God's people, all of the time. In other words, this commandment is as timeless as God's moral law is timeless. Remember, God worked for six days. He rested once on the seventh day and now rests. Remember, our weekly rest is a weekly reminder of that divine rest of God that his people will enjoy with him forever. Hebrews chapter four, verse nine says, there remains therefore a rest for the people of God. There's a rest for us in heaven one day with him. We have yet to enter that heavenly eternal rest, but one day we will and our Sabbath observance now is a picture of that ultimate fulfillment where we'll be with him in heaven forever. The new heavens and the new earth. That's not fulfilled yet. And so we gather and observe his day now in anticipation of that great day together. We have this day as a picture. So brothers and sisters, as we consider that heavenly rest, as we consider what this day is all about and as we consider with anticipation what awaits us when we will be with him with the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity, let's worship the Lord now with all of our heart in anticipation of our eternal rest. Pray with me. Father in heaven, we thank you for the blessedness that is this picture of our eternal rest with you. Thank you Lord for a day set aside to you where we can put aside common work where we are for our own good and for your glory, for your worship. We are to set aside our common work and to focus our hearts and minds entirely on you. We need this Lord. It is good for us and we're grateful to you Lord for the blessing of it. Be with us now as we seek to do that. Help us to set aside the common things that our minds are easily occupied with and help us to focus on you. Help us Lord to set aside the duties of the week, the responsibilities of our job or the pressures of our job or the pressures of school or the pressures involved with the family and help us Lord now to think on you, to meditate on you, to seek for wondrous things in your law that we might worship you and praise you and love you and adore you as we should. Help us now Lord by your spirit to worship you rightly and may our worship be pleasing in your sight. Jesus' name we pray all these things. Amen.