In Deuteronomy, Moses rehearsed the faithfulness of his Lord. In one of his final sermons, he reminded God’s people of how the Lord had saved them from their miserable bondage. In love, he had chosen them, graced them, not judged them, redeemed them, protected them, and escorted them to his sacred mountain. There, in love, he had shined upon them, taught them, and fed them. It was a grand season of rest, celebration, instruction, organization, and encouragement at Sinai. However, when the time was right, God addressed his nation of priests, and this is what he said:
… You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them. (Deuteronomy 1:6-8)
Yes, gathering for worship was wonderful. However, it was time for Israel to worship in a different way. It was time for God’s people to worship by walking, working, and going to war.
Following Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the disciples were found gathered in an upper room to fellowship and pray. Oh, how they needed this. However, Jesus did not intend for them to be monks cloistered behind closed doors. At Pentecost, he made it clear it was time for them to get out of there and go to work. They had a story to tell to the nations.
Friends, God has saved us to worship and rest. It is good to sabbath with him at his holy mountain. It is good to cease from our labors, celebrate his goodness, and enjoy our God alongside our new family at the house of the Lord.
In addition, God has saved us to worship and learn. To sit at Christ’s feet and learn from his inspired teaching is a privilege we shouldn’t miss or take likely. In addition to our own study, faithful teachers are a gift from the Lord. How good it is to sit under their lectures, participate in their small groups, and read their books. We should all study to be approved workmen of God, able to rightly divide and interpret his Word.
However, God has saved us ultimately to worship by walking, working, and going to war. According to the fourth commandment, one day we are to worship by not working, and six days we are to worship by working. According to New Testament admonitions, we are to labor valiantly as fishers of men, workers in the harvest, laborers in the vineyard, ambassadors of the King, servants of God, Good Samaritans, and soldiers of Christ; we are to be disciple-making machines.
Therefore friends, as Monday is upon us, I suggest it is time for us to put off the unnecessary weights that slow us down, put on the full-Gospel armor, and go fight the world, the flesh, and the devil. There is absolutely no need for our churches to look like graying, shrinking, and dying old men, our children to be more influenced by others than their believing family, and our culture left alone in its misery.
Friends, it is time again for us to be set ablaze on the inside that we might burn brightly in the neighborhood.
It is time for us to hear the Gospel on Sunday, that we might become better motivated to give the Gospel on Monday.
This weekend, we have been fed, but now it is time to feed others.
Many of us have spent some sweet time on our knees in prayer, It is now time to stand up, leave our prayer closets, and hit the streets.
We have walked in and out of the doors of our church, but now it is time for us to open up the doors of our home.
Yes, we have been to worship. Yes, we have sabbathed and enjoyed him. Yes, we have been refreshed. But now, it is time for us to worship differently; it is time for us to walk, work, and go to war. We’ve a story to tell to the nations. We have a light that needs to shine. Friends, Sunday is over and Monday is upon us. it is time to storm hell’s gates, head into the backyard of Satan, and rescue some more of his abused and miserable subjects. The cease-fire is over; it is time to go to war!
Unfathomable Grace 