Challenging Questions

The point: Go to your employer and explain your predicament, courteously asking for accommodation.

Daniel's courteous request to Ashpenaz not to eat the king's food, and his proposal of a test, illustrates how Christians should politely approach employers about Sunday work, explaining their convictions and seeking accommodation.

Secondly, assuming that you really want to do God's will, go to your employer and explain your predicament. And it's amazing to me. How few people will do this. I mean, this is a very simple thing to do.

10:05 - 10:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin argues that, while actively seeking new employment, Sunday work may temporarily qualify as a 'work of necessity' due to the need to live, not living in a theocracy, and…

The 400 years of Israel's slavery in Egypt, where they were forced to work without Sabbath rest, is used as a historical precedent to argue that a Christian's unavoidable Sunday work, while seeking other employment, can be viewed as a temporary 'Egyptian bondage' or work of necessity.

Thirdly, I think we have precedent for this kind of situation in redemptive history. And here I'm talking about first the 400 years that Israel was in bondage in Egypt before the theocracy was established. They were living in Egypt, which was not a theocratic state, at least in terms of Jehovah. It wasn't.

16:24 - 16:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray about it. Pray against it. Cry to God for deliverance and for a way out of it.

The situation of Roman Christians, especially slaves, forced to work on Sundays before Constantine's laws, and their early morning worship, serves as another historical precedent for understanding temporary works of necessity in non-theocratic contexts.

Find another job. And we also have a similar situation in the Roman Empire before Constantine established laws in the Roman Empire requiring Sunday to be a day of rest for the day off. Before then, Constantine came around A.D. 321.

19:01 - 19:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Christian politicians should make an issue out of this. We as Christians should protest these practices and appeal to our leaders to be merciful and respectful of our Christian convictions.

The story of an Orthodox Jewish basketball player who refused to play on Saturday, leading the University of Maryland to alter its schedule, highlights the lack of similar conviction and protest among many Christians regarding Sunday work.

We as Christians should protest these practices and appeal to our leaders to be merciful and respectful of our Christian convictions. It's interesting to me. Some time ago, it's been a few years ago, I was reading a newspaper article about a highly recruited basketball player that was recruited by the University of Maryland. And he was Jewish.

20:47 - 21:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And I think we can draw a general principle here that children ought to be expected to keep the Sabbath in accordance with their capacity as children. In accordance with their capacity as children or in accordance with t…

The example of a child running into a coffee table (creaturehood) versus intentionally touching a forbidden object (sinnerhood) illustrates the need to distinguish between a child's natural development and actual sin when applying commandments like the Sabbath.

For example, the discipline of my children. If little Garrison, ever since he learned to walk, I've not ever seen him walk. He's always running. He never walks, he runs.

27:41 - 27:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And I think we can draw a general principle here that children ought to be expected to keep the Sabbath in accordance with their capacity as children. In accordance with their capacity as children or in accordance with t…

Martin shares a personal story of testing his children's obedience by telling them not to touch something, then hiding to see if they would obey, using it to emphasize the importance of early discipline once children understand right from wrong.

It was simply part of his physical development. Now, what if as he gets older, one of the things we used to teach our girls, you know, not to touch stuff that mom has sitting out, because we didn't want everything broken. And once they got old enough to understand, then they were disciplined. In fact, you're going to think this is cruel.

28:30 - 28:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Direct children's playing in ways to try to help them to see that it's different from other days, using Sunday toys, Bible stories, or Christian books.

Examples like keeping a box of special 'Sunday toys' (Bible characters, storybooks) or directing outdoor play towards Bible stories (reenacting David and Goliath) are given as practical ways to help children sanctify the Lord's Day.

But this is some things that I think are helpful. Some families. Keep a box of Sunday toys that are distinct from the other toys that they play with the rest of the day. Toys perhaps that have to do with Bible characters or Bible story books.

30:46 - 31:00 Read in full sermon

The point: The Lord's Day is a time for us to begin. And teaching them also how to behave in church.

The anecdote about his wife, Kelly, making special cinnamon rolls and having good Sunday dinners illustrates how families can make the Lord's Day a happy and special occasion, delighting in it rather than making it grim.

We always try to make it a special happy day. For years, I don't think we do this now, except we did today. We still do it occasionally. But for years, Kelly always made these really nice cinnamon, rolls on Sunday.

33:44 - 33:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Prepare physically for the Lord's Day by finishing work on Saturday, getting sufficient sleep, and having necessities ready.

Preparing for a family vacation, including planning, saving, and tying up loose ends, is used as an analogy to stress the importance of physical and spiritual preparation for the Lord's Day to make it profitable and enjoyable.

Some brief counsels. I'm just going to limit myself here to this one about getting the most out of the Lord's day by making preparations for it. I think it's very important. Think about when you take a family vacation.

36:40 - 37:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Prepare spiritually for the Lord's Day by praying beforehand, examining yourself, confessing sin, and stirring up affections toward God through His Word and Christian music.

A quote from Robert Dabney about his father's serious and systematic approach to improving the Sabbath is used to underscore the attitude believers should have towards making the most of the Lord's Day for their souls.

Stir yourself up to seek the Lord on his day. Often you'll receive from the Lord's Day in accordance with what you put into the Lord's Day. You'll reap on that day in accordance with what you sow. Simple preparation like this can help tremendously to make the Lord's Day more and more profitable to you. The great Southern Presbyterian theologian and preacher of the 19th century, Robert Dabney, wrote these words about his father's devotion to carefully observing the Christian Sabbath. And I'll just quote these as kind of the closing thought in our lessons on this subject. He says, How sacredly w...

40:05 - 40:49 Read in full sermon

The point: When children face conflicts with Sunday sports, use it as a teaching opportunity to explain why they cannot participate and to prioritize the Lord's Day.

Martin shares the story of his daughter, Rachel, who refused to play in a regional fast-pitch softball tournament game scheduled for Sunday, illustrating the difficult but necessary choice to prioritize the Sabbath over sports, even at a high level.

Well, it can be a conflict for them to understand. It also would be a teaching opportunity. Oh, yes, I agree. You know, an opportunity to explain to them why. Thankfully, in South Carolina, they didn't do that. It was rare that they had, but it's starting to gradually come in. My daughter faced a situation like that. She played for, she played fast pitch softball. She was really good. She made the all-star team. And then her all-star team ended up being the state. She was the final team that ended up representing South Carolina in the regional fast pitch softball tournament in Virginia. And th...

44:55 - 45:53 Read in full sermon