Are you working this Lord's Day?

"Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal. 3:5)

It's the Lord's Day, that blessed day that we gather together as the children of God, the body of Christ, the flock of the Shepherd, to worship our God, Creator, Redeemer, Comforter, and Holy Father. If we would just stop and think about what we go to do this day, we would be reminded that this day especially is all of grace and not of work. If we would just remember our rest in Christ Jesus by His work of redeeming us from our sins by the spilling of His precious blood and life upon the cross, then this day would remind us that God is gracious and we are wretched sinners. Alas, many of us to go church this Lord's Day to work rather than to be saved by grace through faith.

In Galatians 3:5, Paul asks a rhetorical question that should cause us to stop and think about how we are preparing our hearts for worship on the Lord's Day. Are we merely trying to get our spiritual ducks in a row before we head out the door to church so that we can do everything within our power to make the most of this Lord's Day, or are we waking up in the morning, falling to our knees, and thanking the Lord that He supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you by hearing with faith?

The Lord's Day can be all about me, oftentimes. It is all about my works. How well am I dressed? How much am I tithing? How well am I listening to the sermon? How loud am I singing the Psalms? How devoted am I to prayer? How sincere do I seem in my love for others and my love for God? Am I working hard enough to make this day a delight? Am I endeavoring with all of my spiritual strength and mirth to make the most of the blessed day? Am I working hard enough to obtain the grace of God?

Stop, wretched man! Stop! This day is not about you. This day is not about your works. Your works can accomplish nothing this day. This is the day of rest! Stop working, wretched man, because you are accomplishing nothing but demonstrating idolatry, wherein you desire to replace Christ's work with your own.


"Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:2-3)

How did you first receive the Spirit? Was it by all of your works or was it by hearing the Gospel preached with faith? Having first begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be perfected by your own works?

Go this Lord's Day, and recognize that all of your works, no matter how sincere they may seem to you, are not going to make this day blessed. You can work as hard as you want this day, but it is not works of the law that will make your worship pleasing to God. It is not works of the law that will renew and strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by the hearing of the Word preached this day.

Contrary to logic, the best way to prepare your heart for worship this day is to stop trying to prepare your own heart and rest in the Lord. This is His day. He has already clothed you in white robes of righteousness. What better vestments can you wear? He has taught and trained your tongue to sing and given you the Spirit to know that the Psalms you sing find their yes! and Amen! in Him. He has given you ears to hear good news, and the Spirit works miracles through the hearing of the Gospel. He has given you a new heart to love your neighbor as yourself and to love God as your Heavenly Father. He guides your prayers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes on your behalf, teaching us to pray and praying for us with groanings too deep for words when we do not know what to pray for. Your heart has already been perfectly prepared  for this day of worship, and you need to rest by faith in Christ's finished work. This day is not about work but about faith. This day is not about picking up where Jesus left off, but it is all about worshiping God for He has done the impossible, He has made wretched sinners like you and me righteous through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ said, "It is finished." It most surely is. Stop working, and rest.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:1-2)


Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith, this day, and put aside every effort to perfect that which you can never perfect and to accomplish that which you can never accomplish. Prepare your heart for worship, therefore, and look to Jesus!