SABBATH on SermonAudio

This sermon concludes a series on Nehemiah by examining the final chapter, where God's people repeatedly drift from their vows despite initial restoration. The central message emphasizes that human strength is insufficient for maintaining faithfulness, highlighting the need for divine grace and the ultimate hope found in Christ, the faithful covenant keeper. The text explores three areas of reformation: the sanctification of worship, specifically the Sabbath; the integrity of families through marriage within the faith; and the holiness of church leadership and service. The preacher urges believers to view their lives through a multi-generational lens, stewarding their time to prepare the next generation rather than seeking immediate results. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a reliance on God's power to sustain the church, reminding listeners that true faithfulness is a gift of grace rather than a product of human effort.

Preaching from John 5:19-30, Pastor Rockhill addresses the modern skeptical charge that Jesus never claimed to be God. His central burden is to show that although Christ never uttered the exact words "I am God," both His works and His words plainly reveal His divine nature to any audience familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures. Pastor Rockhill traces how Jesus, having healed on the Sabbath, deepens rather than softens the claim of His deity. The Son does nothing apart from the Father, not as a mere puppet but in willing, loving submission, for the Father and the Son are one God. Their common work flows from a perfect, mutual love. Jesus then claims two works that belonged to God alone: giving life and executing final judgment. As the fountain of life, the Son grants eternal life to whom He will, raising the spiritually dead through the Word applied by the Spirit, and as the Son of Man of Daniel 7 He is the perfect, righteous Judge of all the earth. He unfolds the sovereignty of God in salvation, showing the one work of the triune God in regenerating sinners, and points to the coming resurrection with its two outcomes, life or condemnation. Pastor Rockhill closes with a searching pastoral appeal built on the two calls of the Son: the gracious gospel call to repent and believe today, and the sober summons to stand before the Judge at the last day. Far better, he urges, to hear Christ's voice now in faith and pass from death into everlasting life for the glory of God alone.

This sermon was preached on September 27, 2026 at Antioch Presbyterian Church, a congregation of Calvary Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America located in Woodruff, South Carolina. Pastor Zachary Groff preached this sermon entitled "Sacred Feasts & Sacred Time" on Exodus 23:10-19. For more information about Antioch Presbyterian Church, please visit ⁠antiochpca.com⁠ or contact us at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].

This sermon examines the fourth commandment as a moral obligation for all believers, emphasizing that the Sabbath is a holy day set apart for the worship of God rather than merely a period of physical rest. The central message urges Christians to delight in this day by consecrating themselves to the Lord, viewing it as a spiritual diagnosis of their devotion and a foretaste of eternal rest. Key duties discussed include attending public worship, engaging in private devotions, and fostering a godly environment within the home and community. The preacher argues that focusing on these positive duties naturally excludes forbidden sins, while also addressing the responsibilities of superiors to enable others to keep the day holy. The tone is instructional and convicting, calling the church to reject the neglect of God's holiness and to embrace the Sabbath as a source of divine blessing and preparation for the eternal Sabbath in glory.

Special Services, Night 1: Remember the Sabbath

G. The Piercing of the Savior's Side

This is a sermon on the Fourth Commandment

In this Sunday School, we examine the biblical teaching concerning the length of the creation days in Genesis 1. Beginning with the historic Baptist understanding expressed in the Second London Baptist Confession and Baptist Catechism, we consider the exegetical basis for understanding the creation week as six successive, ordinary days followed by the seventh day of rest. We examine the Hebrew term yôm (day), the repeated evening-and-morning formula, the sequential numbering of the days, and the literary character of Moses' account. Particular attention is given to the correspondence between the creation week and Israel's six-day workweek and seventh-day Sabbath in Exodus 20:11 and 31:17. We also consider the testimony of early Christian writers and examine alternative interpretations, including the day-age, analogical-day, and framework views, evaluating their respective exegetical difficulties. Ultimately, we argue that the ordinary-day interpretation best accords with the language, structure, and canonical context of Genesis 1, while recognizing that the authority for this position rests not upon the Confession of faith, but upon the teaching of Scripture itself.