Great Blessings for Those Who Properly Keep the Lord’s Day

Isaiah 58:13-14

Reverend, Dr. Philip Lee’s sermon from Lord’s Day 2nd Service on June 16, 2019

The incredible blessings

For those who properly observe the Lord’s Day, God promises incredible blessings. In the Old Testament time, the Israelites observed the day called the Sabbath Day. Why? The Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth and all their host. And on the 7th day, God rested (Gen 2:1). God blessed that Sabbath Day, sanctified it and set it apart as a day of holiness (Gen 2:3). Thus, the Sabbath Day is when God rested, blessed and sanctified it, and this is called a “day of Sabbath,” the “day of rest.”

Today, the question is, why do we observe the Lord’s Day in place of the Sabbath Day? As long as we have sin, there will be no rest. When we sin, our hearts become insecure and pound. We are constantly worried that somebody will find out about it; thus there is no rest. But Jesus came and He took all the burdens of our sins and died upon the cross on our behalf to pay the price of our sins by His own precious blood. Then on the third day, which is a Sunday, the Lord’s Day, He arose from death, shattering the power of sin and darkness to give us the great gift called “eternal life.” That is why the Lord’s Day is a day of true rest that was given to us as a gift. For this reason, the saints, the believers in the New Testament era observe the Lord’s Day in place of the Sabbath Day observed in the Old Testament era. When we observe the Lord’s Day properly, it is an incredible blessing as promised to us.

A delight for those who properly keep the Lord’s Day

When we properly keep the Lord’s Day, God will give us the greatest delight (Isa 58:14). The word “delight” in the original Hebrew language is ענג (anag) which means sheer delight, the greatest joy. Thus, when we properly observe the Lord’s Day, God will give us this “delight.” What kind of joy and what kind of light is this? First, it is a continuous joy that will continue all the way to the kingdom of God. The joy of this world is so transient and brief; however, the joy that comes from our God will continue without ending and lead us to the kingdom of God. Therefore we observe the Lord’s Day to prepare for the returning Lord. Secondly, this joy is a joy of being embraced in the “mother’s bosom,” a mother’s embrace. The happiest and the most joyful baby in this world is the baby who is rested well in peace in the mother’s embrace and suckling on its mother’s milk, asleep in the mother’s arms. God says that those who observe the Lord’s Day properly will find joy as this baby who is resting peacefully in its mother’s arms. Thus, when we come before God’s presence to church on the Lord’s Day and listen to the Word of God, this is a moment of being embraced in the mother’s arms and suckling on the milk, the spiritual milk which is called the Word (Isa 66:11).

“Heights of the earth” for those who properly keep the Lord’s Day

When we keep the Lord’s Day properly, God promised that He would make us ride on the “heights of the earth” (Isa 58:14). In the original Hebrew language, the word “ride” is רָכַב (rakab) meaning “to mount and ride something.” The word “heights” is בָּמָה (bamah), meaning a high place or highest place on a mountain or hill. Therefore, God tells us that when we observe the Lord’s Day properly, God will mount us on the highest place of this world (Deut 32:13). The Israelites had not yet entered the land of Canaan but are in the Plains of Moab receiving the last discourse from Moses. Through Moses, God is speaking and saying the land of Canaan is made with “high places.” However, you Israel will ride on these high places, the mountains of the land of Canaan, and conquer in the great war of conquest. Therefore, if we keep the Lord’s Day properly, no matter what kind of high places or mountains we encounter in the world, God will help us conquer it (Deut 33:29). The fall of the Southern Kingdom of Judah came about because they did not keep the Lord’s Day properly and were overtaken by the Babylonians (Ezra 22:6-8). That is why when we keep the Lord’s Day properly, we become the true patriots, and God will become our shield and our sword to defend our nation so that we can truly ride on the heights of the high places and become the number one nation of this world.

The heritage of Jacob for those who properly keep the Lord’s Day

For those who properly keep the Lord’s Day, God will feed with the heritage of Jacob (Isa 58:14). In the original Hebrew language, the word “heritage” is נַחֲלָה (nachalah), meaning "possession," "property" or "inheritance." Jacob was a man of great wealth and that possession of Jacob will be given to those who observe the Lord’s Day properly (Gen 31:1). When Jacob returned from his uncle Laban’s house, Esau brought 400 men to kill Jacob. To comfort the heart of his older brother Esau, Jacob began to send many gifts to him (Gen 32:14-15). This shows how wealthy Jacob had become. Likewise, if we observe the Lord’s Day properly then God promises us that He would feed us with the heritage of Jacob and make us men and women of great wealth just as God made Jacob (Psa 78:71).

Conclusion: How do we observe the Lord’s Day properly? In Isaiah 58:13, we see the word “honorable” twice. In the original Hebrew language, the word “honorable” is כָּבַד (kabad), meaning "heavy" or "weighty." So, we must consider the Lord’s Day seriously and heavily—we cannot take it lightly. On the calendar, every Lord’s Day is colored in red, for this is a day we meet the God that is greater than any president in this world. That is how we must take the Lord’s Day.

There are three things we must not do to honor the Lord’s Day. First, we must desist from our own ways. Secondly, we must desist from seeking our own pleasure and satisfaction. Thirdly, we must not speak our own words but only speak God’s Word. When we do these things, then we will be blessed and acknowledged by God. Today, let us make a firm resolution to desist from our own ways, pleasures and not speak our own words so that these incredible blessings will be upon our families.