Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Jesus said he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. If there is to be a society, there must be laws. If everyone was allowed to do just as he pleases, imagine the consequences. There would be no respect for others property nor for one another. There would be no morals and the world would be in complete chaos.
God wrote the perfect laws. Laws about how to love Him and our neighbor. Yet today most say the laws are no longer in effect because we are under grace. Some keep the law as a necessity of salvation, legalism.
Could our throwing out of the law be part of our problems in America today. Have we totally forgotten God. Has He been left out of most everything, our government, our homes, schools, even our worship.
We cannot keep the law within ourselves. But in our acceptance of Christ in us, it is possible. Yet we believe that one of God’s laws has been changed. We completely throw out His 4th commandment , but on what authority. Can you find anywhere in the Bible where God tells us He has changed the 4th commandment from the 7th day Saturday to Sunday the 1st day.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
When and how did Sunday observance begin?
The change of the 4th commandment was a gradual process, yet Satan has finished his work. The following are statements by church authorities and are totally documented.
"Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her - she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no scriptural authority." A Doctrinal Catechism, by Stephen Keenan, pg 174.
The Catholic church, "declared Cardinal Gibbons, "by virtue of divine mission changed the day from Saturday to Sunday."
"We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the catholic church, in the Council of Laodicea (AD 364). Transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, pg. 50, third edition.
The Catholic Cardinal Gibbons, in Faith of Our Fathers pg. 111 said, "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify."
In Matthew 15:9 "But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men."
Daniel 7:25 "And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law.
The Council of Trent (1545 AD), the church leaders ruled that "tradition" (human teachings) is as of great authority as the Bible!
In 321 AD the first Christian emperor, Constantine passed a Sunday law. "Let all judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades rest on the venerable day of the sun". Edict of March 7, 321 AD Corpus Juris Civilis Cod. Liv. 3, tit. 12 Lex. 3.
He passed this law with the intent to satisfy the sun worshiping pagans and to unite them with Christians and the Roman empire. This way they could make it easier for the pagans to come into the church. And thousands of them did. Some of the Christians resisted this and paid the penalty.
The Christians were told that worshiping on Sunday was because of the resurrection of Jesus.
Find one verse in the Bible that tells that the day of worship was changed from the 7th day to the 1st day of the week, Sunday because of the resurrection.
Bibles were forbidden by the priests and as the years went by the Sabbath of the Lord was forgotten. If starting this year we were to not even mention the 4th of July anymore, how long do you think it would take for the significance of this date be forgotten? Sunday worship has become fully established.
The 2nd commandment, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth." "You shall not worship them or serve them…" The making of, and bowing down to images, is omitted in the Catholic catechisms, and the tenth, which forbids coveting, is divided into two. "Bible Readings for the Home, (Washington: Review & Herald Pub. Assoc., 1942) pg. 221.
Anyone keeping the 7th day Sabbath of the Lord today is called a cult. No one is condemned by God for not keeping the Sabbath if they truly do not know. But, he that know has willfully committed sin.
Study the Scriptures, look into history and see for yourself if God changed the laws. Make a decision if you are willing to keep the commandments of God.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
The Ten Commandments : Exodus 20: 1-18
I Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
II Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep my commandments.
III Thou shalt not take the name if the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
IV Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor they son, nor thou daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, not thy cattle, nor they stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherfore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
V Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
VI Thou halt not kill.
VII Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII Thou shalt not steal.
IX Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
X Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
Exodus 20:1-18
AS CHANGED BY THE PAPACY
I I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
(Notice that the 2nd commandment as found in the Bible is left out.)
II Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
(Notice the day of worship, the 7th day is left out.)
III Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
IV Honor thy father and thy mother.
V Thou shalt not kill.
VI Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VII Thou shalt not steal.
VIII Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
IX Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
X Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
Showing posts with label commandments of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commandments of God. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Sabbath
Is it for born-again Christians or has it been nailed to the cross?
When I was 34 years old, I first heard the gospel message that Jesus died for me. I responded with baptism. The spiritual changes I had gone through up to this time were common to people growing up in the 60s. I was raised a Catholic and attended parochial school. After graduation I moved through agnosticism, deism and finally atheism. I did a lot of reading about Zen and other philosophies of life. From this state, through the grace of God, I responded to His call and was born-again. The question of the seventh-day Sabbath was posed to me within the first year. At first I dismissed it. But my recent conversion and the knowledge that I had deceived myself for so many years about God and His love, made me wonder if I was being honest and open to God's leading with this issue. As I prayed, I let go of my preconceived ideas and asked God to open my eyes to His word. I promised to act on whatever he revealed to me. Here is a summery of some of the things I learned in studying the Scriptures on this subject. I am using the New American Standard Bible.
In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Since it was made, it must have had a beginning. When I thought of the Sabbath, I thought of Exodus 20, the 10 commandments. But that was not its origin. In fact the fourth commandment begins by asking us to "Remember…" Exodus 20:8. The origin of the Sabbath is found in Genesis 2:2,3. Here we learn that God did three things that first Sabbath:
RESTED - Ceased from creative activity.
BLESSED THE DAY - There is a blessing to be received on this day.
SANCTIFIED THE DAY - made the day sacred. Set the day apart for holy use.
I had also been told that the Sabbath was made for the Jews. The Jews are the descendants of Abraham. How many Jews were living on the earth when the Sabbath was made? Not one! Only Adam and Eve, the parents of the human race. Perhaps that is why Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man…"
But wasn't the Sabbath nailed to the cross? This idea comes from Colossians 2:14,16,17. Here we learn that certain "ordinances," "Holy days," and "sabbath days" were "nailed to the cross" "Which are a shadow of things to come…" In other words these ordinances, holy days, and sabbath days, were a type, an object lesson pointing to a future reality. In the light of the cross these shadows were no longer needed.
Sabbath days were mentioned as being "a shadow" fulfilled by Christ. Lets look at Leviticus chapter 23. Here we find 7 annual Sabbaths: the beginning and ending of the feast of Unleavened Bread; Passover; Trumpets; the Day of Atonement and the beginning and ending of the feast of Tabernacles. Notice verse 38 - "besides the Sabbaths of the Lord…" There is a distinction made between these annual sabbaths, which fell on different days of the week, and the seventh-day Sabbath. Another distinction is that, only the seventh-day Sabbath is part of the 10 commandments, written by the finger of God on stone tablets and placed inside the Ark (Deuteronomy 10:5). While the 7 annual ceremonial sabbaths were written by Moses in a book and placed beside the Ark (Deuteronomy 31:24-26).
Let's examine one of these sabbaths, the Passover, and look for symbolism, shadowy types of Christ's atoning sacrifice.
EXODUS 12 - SYMBOLISM
Verse 5 - unblemished lamb - Jesus is "the Lamb of God"
Verse 5 - unblemished lamb - Jesus was without sin.
Verse 6 - sacrifice the lamb - Jesus was "slain for our transgressions."
Verse 7 - application of the blood - His shed blood cleanses us.
Verse 7 - application of the blood - We must accept His atonement personally.
Verse 8 - unleavened bread - Leaven is a symbol of sin. Jesus was without sin.
Verse 8 - unleavened bread - Jesus is the bread of life.
Is the Passover a type of Christ's sacrifice? Does it point forward to His redemptive work? All Christians agree that this is so. That is why Christians need not celebrate the Passover. Christ fulfilled it, "nailed it to the cross" with the reality of his sacrifice. We study the Passover to gain insight into the plan of salvation.
Now, let's examine, in the same way, the seventh-day Sabbath as recorded in Exodus 20:8-11.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy."
Is the seventh-day Sabbath a type of Christ's sacrifice? Does it point forward to His redemptive work? Are there any symbols such as shed blood, to connect it to the atonement? I think an honest answer is No! I don't find any symbols of Jesus as our sacrifice here. What I do find is that those who observe the seventh-day Sabbath acknowledge God as their Creator and rightful sovereign. We are the works of His hands and the subjects of His authority. What a rebuke to evolution this is. No one who keeps the Sabbath could possibly believe in evolution. This Sabbath is a memorial of creation, and not a type of Christ's sacrifice. Therefore it could not have been fulfilled at the cross. In fact, when it was instituted, Adam and Eve had not yet sinned. It is interesting to note that marriage and the Sabbath are two things our first parents were allowed to take with them from their Eden home.
Some say that every day should be a Sabbath day. But this is not possible; "in it you shall not do any work…" and "Six days you shall labor and do all your work…" Others say that it doesn't matter which day you choose as long as you keep one in seven. But the Bible doesn't say one day in seven. It says, "the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God…" Now someone will say "how can we know when the seventh-day is? Hasn't the calendar been changed?" Even though the calendar has been changed over the centuries, the weekday cycle has never altered. The seventh-day today is the same as when Jesus walked the earth. Most Christians have no problem accepting Sunday as the first day of the week, the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. Our Jewish neighbors still keep Saturday as the seventh-day Sabbath. And they have been keeping tract of it for centuries. God made sure the Israelites new which day was the Sabbath by the miracle of manna falling on every day of the week, except the Sabbath, for 40 years. See Exodus 16:4-30.
A HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH
Created before sin entered - Genesis 2. The Sabbath was instituted before Adam and Eve fell into sin, so it could not be a type or shadow of Christ's redemption.
Exodus 16:26 - The Sabbath existed before Sinai. A month before He would give the Sabbath commandment, God rebuked the people for breaking the Sabbath, Exodus 16:28.
Mark 2:28 - Christ is "Lord of the Sabbath" Why? John 1:3, 10; Hebrews 1:2; and 1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us that Jesus was the one who rested that first Sabbath day. He created the Sabbath. That is why He is "Lord of the Sabbath."
Luke 4:16 - "as was His custom…" Jesus kept the Sabbath.
Luke 23:56 - "and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." The disciples obviously didn't know anything about a change at this point.
Acts 17:2 - "according to Paul's custom…" Acts 13:14; Acts 16:13; Acts 18:4 (for one and a half years at Corinth) Paul kept the Sabbath!
Matthew 24:20 Christ expected His followers to be observing the Sabbath at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, 40 years after Christ's resurrection.
Isaiah 66:22-23 - "New heavens and new earth" The Sabbath will be celebrated in the future when sin is done away with and God establishes the new heaven and new earth. This is because it is not a symbol of Redemption, but a memorial of Creation.
Some say that the forth commandment is the only commandment not repeated in the New Testament. We have just mentioned several texts in the New Testament but here is another one. Hebrews 4:4, 5 "For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."
The law can't save anyone! That is not its purpose! James 1:23-25 describes the law as a mirror. It shows us where we fail. It reveals our need of a savior. Romans 7:7,12 - Paul's sin became utterly sinful because of the law.
Ezekiel 36:26,27 - "A new heart" This is the born-again experience. "I will cause you to…walk in my statutes…" Jeremiah 31:31,33 - "Write the law on their hearts" "new covenant" The law of God is not done away with under the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit writes it on our hearts. God's people will delight to do His will, as revealed in His law.
THE PROPER MOTIVE IN SABBATH KEEPING IS LOVE.
John 14:15,21 - "If you love me, keep my commandments."
John 15:10,11 - "Joy made full" in keeping God's commandments.
It may seem strange to some, to talk about commandment keeping and faith in the same sentence. But that is just what God's Word does. Rev. 14:12 - "Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." When you enter into God's rest, you cease relying on your own works to gain salvation and trust in the work that only God can perform. Your creator is your redeemer.
I have been keeping the seventh-day Sabbath for over 17 years now. It is truly the best day of the week. I put aside all my concerns about business and things needing to be done around the house. I have divine permission to take a break and spend special time with God, my family and others. What a blessing it is when the TV gets turned off, the newspaper is put away. A peace comes over my home. My family has special things that we do on Friday evening like having ice cream and reading a spiritual book to each other. We have prayer and share spiritual thoughts when the Sabbath ends Saturday at sundown. When my checkbook is low, the Sabbath reminds me that God is in charge. I pray that this little examination will prompt you to dig deeper with the Holy Spirit's leading. If you set the day apart for holy use, you will receive the blessing that Jesus put on His special day.
When I was 34 years old, I first heard the gospel message that Jesus died for me. I responded with baptism. The spiritual changes I had gone through up to this time were common to people growing up in the 60s. I was raised a Catholic and attended parochial school. After graduation I moved through agnosticism, deism and finally atheism. I did a lot of reading about Zen and other philosophies of life. From this state, through the grace of God, I responded to His call and was born-again. The question of the seventh-day Sabbath was posed to me within the first year. At first I dismissed it. But my recent conversion and the knowledge that I had deceived myself for so many years about God and His love, made me wonder if I was being honest and open to God's leading with this issue. As I prayed, I let go of my preconceived ideas and asked God to open my eyes to His word. I promised to act on whatever he revealed to me. Here is a summery of some of the things I learned in studying the Scriptures on this subject. I am using the New American Standard Bible.
In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Since it was made, it must have had a beginning. When I thought of the Sabbath, I thought of Exodus 20, the 10 commandments. But that was not its origin. In fact the fourth commandment begins by asking us to "Remember…" Exodus 20:8. The origin of the Sabbath is found in Genesis 2:2,3. Here we learn that God did three things that first Sabbath:
RESTED - Ceased from creative activity.
BLESSED THE DAY - There is a blessing to be received on this day.
SANCTIFIED THE DAY - made the day sacred. Set the day apart for holy use.
I had also been told that the Sabbath was made for the Jews. The Jews are the descendants of Abraham. How many Jews were living on the earth when the Sabbath was made? Not one! Only Adam and Eve, the parents of the human race. Perhaps that is why Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man…"
But wasn't the Sabbath nailed to the cross? This idea comes from Colossians 2:14,16,17. Here we learn that certain "ordinances," "Holy days," and "sabbath days" were "nailed to the cross" "Which are a shadow of things to come…" In other words these ordinances, holy days, and sabbath days, were a type, an object lesson pointing to a future reality. In the light of the cross these shadows were no longer needed.
Sabbath days were mentioned as being "a shadow" fulfilled by Christ. Lets look at Leviticus chapter 23. Here we find 7 annual Sabbaths: the beginning and ending of the feast of Unleavened Bread; Passover; Trumpets; the Day of Atonement and the beginning and ending of the feast of Tabernacles. Notice verse 38 - "besides the Sabbaths of the Lord…" There is a distinction made between these annual sabbaths, which fell on different days of the week, and the seventh-day Sabbath. Another distinction is that, only the seventh-day Sabbath is part of the 10 commandments, written by the finger of God on stone tablets and placed inside the Ark (Deuteronomy 10:5). While the 7 annual ceremonial sabbaths were written by Moses in a book and placed beside the Ark (Deuteronomy 31:24-26).
Let's examine one of these sabbaths, the Passover, and look for symbolism, shadowy types of Christ's atoning sacrifice.
EXODUS 12 - SYMBOLISM
Verse 5 - unblemished lamb - Jesus is "the Lamb of God"
Verse 5 - unblemished lamb - Jesus was without sin.
Verse 6 - sacrifice the lamb - Jesus was "slain for our transgressions."
Verse 7 - application of the blood - His shed blood cleanses us.
Verse 7 - application of the blood - We must accept His atonement personally.
Verse 8 - unleavened bread - Leaven is a symbol of sin. Jesus was without sin.
Verse 8 - unleavened bread - Jesus is the bread of life.
Is the Passover a type of Christ's sacrifice? Does it point forward to His redemptive work? All Christians agree that this is so. That is why Christians need not celebrate the Passover. Christ fulfilled it, "nailed it to the cross" with the reality of his sacrifice. We study the Passover to gain insight into the plan of salvation.
Now, let's examine, in the same way, the seventh-day Sabbath as recorded in Exodus 20:8-11.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy."
Is the seventh-day Sabbath a type of Christ's sacrifice? Does it point forward to His redemptive work? Are there any symbols such as shed blood, to connect it to the atonement? I think an honest answer is No! I don't find any symbols of Jesus as our sacrifice here. What I do find is that those who observe the seventh-day Sabbath acknowledge God as their Creator and rightful sovereign. We are the works of His hands and the subjects of His authority. What a rebuke to evolution this is. No one who keeps the Sabbath could possibly believe in evolution. This Sabbath is a memorial of creation, and not a type of Christ's sacrifice. Therefore it could not have been fulfilled at the cross. In fact, when it was instituted, Adam and Eve had not yet sinned. It is interesting to note that marriage and the Sabbath are two things our first parents were allowed to take with them from their Eden home.
Some say that every day should be a Sabbath day. But this is not possible; "in it you shall not do any work…" and "Six days you shall labor and do all your work…" Others say that it doesn't matter which day you choose as long as you keep one in seven. But the Bible doesn't say one day in seven. It says, "the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God…" Now someone will say "how can we know when the seventh-day is? Hasn't the calendar been changed?" Even though the calendar has been changed over the centuries, the weekday cycle has never altered. The seventh-day today is the same as when Jesus walked the earth. Most Christians have no problem accepting Sunday as the first day of the week, the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. Our Jewish neighbors still keep Saturday as the seventh-day Sabbath. And they have been keeping tract of it for centuries. God made sure the Israelites new which day was the Sabbath by the miracle of manna falling on every day of the week, except the Sabbath, for 40 years. See Exodus 16:4-30.
A HISTORY OF THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH
Created before sin entered - Genesis 2. The Sabbath was instituted before Adam and Eve fell into sin, so it could not be a type or shadow of Christ's redemption.
Exodus 16:26 - The Sabbath existed before Sinai. A month before He would give the Sabbath commandment, God rebuked the people for breaking the Sabbath, Exodus 16:28.
Mark 2:28 - Christ is "Lord of the Sabbath" Why? John 1:3, 10; Hebrews 1:2; and 1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us that Jesus was the one who rested that first Sabbath day. He created the Sabbath. That is why He is "Lord of the Sabbath."
Luke 4:16 - "as was His custom…" Jesus kept the Sabbath.
Luke 23:56 - "and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." The disciples obviously didn't know anything about a change at this point.
Acts 17:2 - "according to Paul's custom…" Acts 13:14; Acts 16:13; Acts 18:4 (for one and a half years at Corinth) Paul kept the Sabbath!
Matthew 24:20 Christ expected His followers to be observing the Sabbath at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, 40 years after Christ's resurrection.
Isaiah 66:22-23 - "New heavens and new earth" The Sabbath will be celebrated in the future when sin is done away with and God establishes the new heaven and new earth. This is because it is not a symbol of Redemption, but a memorial of Creation.
Some say that the forth commandment is the only commandment not repeated in the New Testament. We have just mentioned several texts in the New Testament but here is another one. Hebrews 4:4, 5 "For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."
The law can't save anyone! That is not its purpose! James 1:23-25 describes the law as a mirror. It shows us where we fail. It reveals our need of a savior. Romans 7:7,12 - Paul's sin became utterly sinful because of the law.
Ezekiel 36:26,27 - "A new heart" This is the born-again experience. "I will cause you to…walk in my statutes…" Jeremiah 31:31,33 - "Write the law on their hearts" "new covenant" The law of God is not done away with under the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit writes it on our hearts. God's people will delight to do His will, as revealed in His law.
THE PROPER MOTIVE IN SABBATH KEEPING IS LOVE.
John 14:15,21 - "If you love me, keep my commandments."
John 15:10,11 - "Joy made full" in keeping God's commandments.
It may seem strange to some, to talk about commandment keeping and faith in the same sentence. But that is just what God's Word does. Rev. 14:12 - "Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." When you enter into God's rest, you cease relying on your own works to gain salvation and trust in the work that only God can perform. Your creator is your redeemer.
I have been keeping the seventh-day Sabbath for over 17 years now. It is truly the best day of the week. I put aside all my concerns about business and things needing to be done around the house. I have divine permission to take a break and spend special time with God, my family and others. What a blessing it is when the TV gets turned off, the newspaper is put away. A peace comes over my home. My family has special things that we do on Friday evening like having ice cream and reading a spiritual book to each other. We have prayer and share spiritual thoughts when the Sabbath ends Saturday at sundown. When my checkbook is low, the Sabbath reminds me that God is in charge. I pray that this little examination will prompt you to dig deeper with the Holy Spirit's leading. If you set the day apart for holy use, you will receive the blessing that Jesus put on His special day.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Nailed to the Cross
Nailed to the Cross
Many say the 10 commandments were nailed to the cross. Yet we know that it is wrong to steal, kill or to commit adultery. All agree that nine of the commandments are still necessary, yet they say the 4th commandment is no longer in effect. But, what ever you do with the 4th, you must do with the other nine.
We are saved by grace. But is there any need for grace if there is no law. Exactly what was nailed to the cross with Jesus?
Colossians 2:10 And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; verse 11- And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; verse 12- having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Verse 13- And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; Verse 14- having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has take it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Verse 15- When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, he made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Verse 16- Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- Verse 17- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Verse 18- Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated with cause by his fleshly mind,
Notice in verse 14 that the decrees were canceled out and nailed to the cross and they were a shadow of things to come.
The ceremonial laws that were kept in the side pocket of the ark were but shadows of the real thing. They were temporary until their meaning could be fulfilled. They contained the rules and regulations of how the government of Israel was to be conducted. The Ten Commandments were kept inside the ark. (Deuteronomy 10:1-2 31:26)
Paul is referring to the regulations regarding the religious feasts, New Moon observances and Sabbath days. This is not the Sabbath of the 10 commandments, but the Sabbath feast days. (Passover - Day of Atonement) These occurred on the same date every year, but on different days of the week.
When Christ was crucified, He was the final sacrifice for man’s sins. There was no longer any need for the blood of the sacrificial lambs to be shed. These regulations only pointed toward Christ and His shed blood for us. The ceremonial laws were no longer needed after Christ. They were nailed to the cross with Jesus..
BLESSED BE THE SABBATH !
Many say the 10 commandments were nailed to the cross. Yet we know that it is wrong to steal, kill or to commit adultery. All agree that nine of the commandments are still necessary, yet they say the 4th commandment is no longer in effect. But, what ever you do with the 4th, you must do with the other nine.
We are saved by grace. But is there any need for grace if there is no law. Exactly what was nailed to the cross with Jesus?
Colossians 2:10 And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; verse 11- And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; verse 12- having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Verse 13- And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; Verse 14- having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has take it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Verse 15- When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, he made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Verse 16- Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- Verse 17- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Verse 18- Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated with cause by his fleshly mind,
Notice in verse 14 that the decrees were canceled out and nailed to the cross and they were a shadow of things to come.
The ceremonial laws that were kept in the side pocket of the ark were but shadows of the real thing. They were temporary until their meaning could be fulfilled. They contained the rules and regulations of how the government of Israel was to be conducted. The Ten Commandments were kept inside the ark. (Deuteronomy 10:1-2 31:26)
Paul is referring to the regulations regarding the religious feasts, New Moon observances and Sabbath days. This is not the Sabbath of the 10 commandments, but the Sabbath feast days. (Passover - Day of Atonement) These occurred on the same date every year, but on different days of the week.
When Christ was crucified, He was the final sacrifice for man’s sins. There was no longer any need for the blood of the sacrificial lambs to be shed. These regulations only pointed toward Christ and His shed blood for us. The ceremonial laws were no longer needed after Christ. They were nailed to the cross with Jesus..
BLESSED BE THE SABBATH !
Sunday, July 26, 2009
God's Law Against Legalism
In the Battle of Law vs. Grace, the Grace camp tries to do away with it, and the Law camp misunderstands it, but God still has a law against legalism.
Many Christians today believe the law of God was done away at the death of Jesus. They say that if one believes the law of God is still valid, that one is "under the law" or "legalistic." On the other hand, an opposing group of Christians contend that we must keep all of God's Law with all of our might if we are going to be in God's kingdom. They say that the Grace group, with their "faith alone" are practicing "rocking chair religion." Perhaps you can see the problem. Both camps are partly wrong if the focal point of my thesis is correct, that God has a law against legalism. If God's law is still valid it hasn't been done away. And if He has a law against legalism, the Law group has some serious adjusting to do in how they go about keeping the law.
First let me define the term legalism as I use it. Legalism is an attempt to be or become righteous by doing God's law in one's own strength.
Second, let me define the Law and its purpose. I would like to put forth a concept of the law and what it represents that may help reveal its purpose. The law basically is a set of negative statements that define the character of God as it applies to man. "Thou shall not" is the negative part. Those things God has stated that we are not to do are the very same things that Jesus did not do as He lived a perfect life on Earth. Jesus turned what we see as negative into a positive way of life! Jesus defined the law as a loving way of life! Where the law says "Thou shall not kill" Jesus, in full agreement, says to love your enemies. Far from doing away with the law, Jesus raised the standard to fulfill or fill to the full our concept of what the law is intended to do. If we can picture the law as a transcript of God's character, which is Love, we can see the eternal purpose of His law. The Law of God in its basic form as defined in the Ten Commandments, is simply ten statements to show us when we are not living the way God intended. Perhaps this is why they are stated as negatives! When we do what they say not to do we are living a negative life or in other words, a way of life that leads to death. God created us to live! It was in love that He gave us a document that would warn us of danger. The law, then, could be likened to a signpost pointing us in the right direction. We would never expect a signpost to take us to our destination, yet some people act like the law can make them righteous. The apostle Paul speaks to this problem in Romans 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight: For by the law is the knowledge of sin." He then introduces the concept of righteousness by faith. (Read Romans 3:21-31) In verse 31 he asks a most important question to our topic: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea we establish the law." We can see that the real issue here is not doing away with the law to obtain righteousness but rather the how of becoming righteous. If we do away with God's law we lose sight of what righteousness is! We can see the results of preaching that says that God's law was nailed to the cross, or done away with, in the increasing lawlessness in our society. The laws of the land are based on the Ten Commandments. If we say that God's law is no longer valid we seriously undermine the good laws of our society that were written for our own protection to defend peace and order.
If you believe that man can become righteous by doing the law, you are probably wondering how righteousness is served by just believing. On the other hand if you are one who believes that the law is "history," your faith has nowhere to take you for there is no more righteousness to obtain to. These two extremes make up the basic issues of the standoff in a ongoing religious debate in
(2)
Christianity today. Both sides define themselves in counter distinction to the other. Both sides have some truth, but neither is totally right.
Enters the Gospel! The word gospel means "good news." The good news of God's plan of salvation is in short: God offers, by His Grace, the life, shed blood, death, resurrection, and Spirit Life of His Son Jesus Christ to cleanse, recreate, indwell and work out of us to live righteously, fulfilling the law, when we believe or trust Him to do it in us.
Because God, in His perfect love and wisdom, does not want His children to be robots; He has ordained that we must choose between life and death, between His way and our own. It is to protect our freedom of choice and the eternal peace of His kingdom family that He demands we choose. To really know God is to trust Him. If we truly understand His love we will gladly surrender our lives to His care and keeping. This is true faith. Faith is active surrender to God's control in our lives. Faith is the means by which we appropriate the free gift of God's Grace in our lives. He will bring His righteousness into us through the Holy Spirit. His Spirit in us will always work out His true righteousness, that to which the law points.
Isn't it simple? Grace through faith accomplishes that which the law defines! This is righteousness by faith. Faith is not a "rocking chair" word but an action word. It is by faith that we ask, seek, and knock. (Matthew 7:7,8) It is because we trust God that we will actively pull the voting lever, putting God in office in our lives. This action is our work! Only we can do it! Every time we choose God in the daily choices we face, God steps in with unlimited power and works His life in us just as He did in Jesus. This is how we will be like Jesus when He appears. (I John 3:2)
What is God's law against legalism? This law is the center piece of the Gospel. This is the one law that God said to remember! The one law that satan, by dividing law and grace, has caused many Christians to forget! The one law God put within the Ten Commandments that, if observed, would safeguard against legalism! This is the forth commandment Sabbath law!
Exodus 20: 8-11
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it
you shall not do any work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh-day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Because we are physical/spiritual creatures, God our creator, gave us physical reminders of spiritual realities. God gave the 7th Day Sabbath as a memorial of His physical creative power. After sin entered this world, He ordained the Sabbath to remind us that He alone can recreate us spiritually. God told Israel that the Sabbath was a sign that He was The One that would sanctify them or set them apart in holiness. (Exodus 31:13) It is not just to physical Israel that God extends that blessing but to spiritual Israel as well, all those who trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for Eternal Life. What a wonderful gift! Each Sabbath He asks us to set aside our daily cares and responsibilities and commune with Him, rejoicing in His gift of physical and spiritual salvation.
(3)
According to the Hebrew word translated feast (Strong's Hebrew dictionary #4150) in Leviticus 23:2&3 the 7th Day Sabbath is an appointment with the King of Kings! In each week He has set a perpetual, appointed time to meet with Him, physically trusting Him to supply our every need and spiritually trusting His working in us to be righteous. On the first Sabbath, the first full day of their existence, before they had done any real work themselves, Adam and Eve were invited to take part in God's resting from His physical work of creation. That appointment still stands. Each Sabbath, we too are invited to rest both physically and spiritually by faith in Jesus' physical and spiritual life in our behalf. The physical rest on the 7th Day is a reminder that we must rest every day, in the spiritual sense, as He renews His righteousness in us by His Spirit. It is only by His working in us that we can become righteous, fully keeping God's law. (Phillipians 2:13) A "Sabbath keeper" that thinks ceasing from work on the Sabbath qualifies one for salvation or in any way merits God's mercy is actually performing "works of the flesh." To put ones trust in ones own power to merit salvation is nothing short of idolatry. In Galatians 5:19, 20 Paul lists idolatry as one of the works of the flesh. Those who trust in the creature (beast) rather than their Creator are in effect worshipping the "beast." The 4th commandment is a call to remember our Creator, to trust and rest in His creative power. This is why Revelation 14:11 proclaims there is no rest for those who worship the beast! (See Revelation 14:6-12 to review the proclamation messages of the three angels. Please note the call to worship our Creator in the first angels message - verses 6 & 7.) If we believe that God is accomplishing our salvation, we can enter true rest by faith. Our ceasing to labor on the Sabbath, then, is not in order to be saved but rather because we are saved. We put away our everyday concerns and pleasures (Isaiah 58:13,14) during the Sabbath hours so that we can keep God's appointment with us and have undistracted communion with Him!
My friend, are you tired of trying to be "good" in your own strength? Can you see that the 4th Commandment is the only one out of the Ten that we automatically spiritually break by trying to keep in our own power? Jesus says, "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28&29)
Perhaps you have the uneasy feeling that your life in "grace" is not much different than the lives of the lost souls around you, and you long to live a life set aside in Holiness. God will make you righteous if you ask Him to work out His righteousness (His law) in you. This is the recreation of which the Sabbath is a reminder today! Jesus paid the price for our salvation on Calvary. You can rest in the merits of that completed act! Aren't you glad the Sabbath was made for man! (Mark 2:27)
Take courage dear Christian! "There remains . . .a Sabbath rest for the people of God!" (Hebrews 4:9 NAS)
Dear Heavenly Father. Please forgive our lack of faith in you. Please bring us into your true Sabbath rest. Please forgive us for physically and spiritually breaking your 4th commandment. Teach us to truly trust in You. Please write Your law on our hearts. Work to fulfill Your law in us just as You did in Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.
Many Christians today believe the law of God was done away at the death of Jesus. They say that if one believes the law of God is still valid, that one is "under the law" or "legalistic." On the other hand, an opposing group of Christians contend that we must keep all of God's Law with all of our might if we are going to be in God's kingdom. They say that the Grace group, with their "faith alone" are practicing "rocking chair religion." Perhaps you can see the problem. Both camps are partly wrong if the focal point of my thesis is correct, that God has a law against legalism. If God's law is still valid it hasn't been done away. And if He has a law against legalism, the Law group has some serious adjusting to do in how they go about keeping the law.
First let me define the term legalism as I use it. Legalism is an attempt to be or become righteous by doing God's law in one's own strength.
Second, let me define the Law and its purpose. I would like to put forth a concept of the law and what it represents that may help reveal its purpose. The law basically is a set of negative statements that define the character of God as it applies to man. "Thou shall not" is the negative part. Those things God has stated that we are not to do are the very same things that Jesus did not do as He lived a perfect life on Earth. Jesus turned what we see as negative into a positive way of life! Jesus defined the law as a loving way of life! Where the law says "Thou shall not kill" Jesus, in full agreement, says to love your enemies. Far from doing away with the law, Jesus raised the standard to fulfill or fill to the full our concept of what the law is intended to do. If we can picture the law as a transcript of God's character, which is Love, we can see the eternal purpose of His law. The Law of God in its basic form as defined in the Ten Commandments, is simply ten statements to show us when we are not living the way God intended. Perhaps this is why they are stated as negatives! When we do what they say not to do we are living a negative life or in other words, a way of life that leads to death. God created us to live! It was in love that He gave us a document that would warn us of danger. The law, then, could be likened to a signpost pointing us in the right direction. We would never expect a signpost to take us to our destination, yet some people act like the law can make them righteous. The apostle Paul speaks to this problem in Romans 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight: For by the law is the knowledge of sin." He then introduces the concept of righteousness by faith. (Read Romans 3:21-31) In verse 31 he asks a most important question to our topic: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea we establish the law." We can see that the real issue here is not doing away with the law to obtain righteousness but rather the how of becoming righteous. If we do away with God's law we lose sight of what righteousness is! We can see the results of preaching that says that God's law was nailed to the cross, or done away with, in the increasing lawlessness in our society. The laws of the land are based on the Ten Commandments. If we say that God's law is no longer valid we seriously undermine the good laws of our society that were written for our own protection to defend peace and order.
If you believe that man can become righteous by doing the law, you are probably wondering how righteousness is served by just believing. On the other hand if you are one who believes that the law is "history," your faith has nowhere to take you for there is no more righteousness to obtain to. These two extremes make up the basic issues of the standoff in a ongoing religious debate in
(2)
Christianity today. Both sides define themselves in counter distinction to the other. Both sides have some truth, but neither is totally right.
Enters the Gospel! The word gospel means "good news." The good news of God's plan of salvation is in short: God offers, by His Grace, the life, shed blood, death, resurrection, and Spirit Life of His Son Jesus Christ to cleanse, recreate, indwell and work out of us to live righteously, fulfilling the law, when we believe or trust Him to do it in us.
Because God, in His perfect love and wisdom, does not want His children to be robots; He has ordained that we must choose between life and death, between His way and our own. It is to protect our freedom of choice and the eternal peace of His kingdom family that He demands we choose. To really know God is to trust Him. If we truly understand His love we will gladly surrender our lives to His care and keeping. This is true faith. Faith is active surrender to God's control in our lives. Faith is the means by which we appropriate the free gift of God's Grace in our lives. He will bring His righteousness into us through the Holy Spirit. His Spirit in us will always work out His true righteousness, that to which the law points.
Isn't it simple? Grace through faith accomplishes that which the law defines! This is righteousness by faith. Faith is not a "rocking chair" word but an action word. It is by faith that we ask, seek, and knock. (Matthew 7:7,8) It is because we trust God that we will actively pull the voting lever, putting God in office in our lives. This action is our work! Only we can do it! Every time we choose God in the daily choices we face, God steps in with unlimited power and works His life in us just as He did in Jesus. This is how we will be like Jesus when He appears. (I John 3:2)
What is God's law against legalism? This law is the center piece of the Gospel. This is the one law that God said to remember! The one law that satan, by dividing law and grace, has caused many Christians to forget! The one law God put within the Ten Commandments that, if observed, would safeguard against legalism! This is the forth commandment Sabbath law!
Exodus 20: 8-11
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it
you shall not do any work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh-day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Because we are physical/spiritual creatures, God our creator, gave us physical reminders of spiritual realities. God gave the 7th Day Sabbath as a memorial of His physical creative power. After sin entered this world, He ordained the Sabbath to remind us that He alone can recreate us spiritually. God told Israel that the Sabbath was a sign that He was The One that would sanctify them or set them apart in holiness. (Exodus 31:13) It is not just to physical Israel that God extends that blessing but to spiritual Israel as well, all those who trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for Eternal Life. What a wonderful gift! Each Sabbath He asks us to set aside our daily cares and responsibilities and commune with Him, rejoicing in His gift of physical and spiritual salvation.
(3)
According to the Hebrew word translated feast (Strong's Hebrew dictionary #4150) in Leviticus 23:2&3 the 7th Day Sabbath is an appointment with the King of Kings! In each week He has set a perpetual, appointed time to meet with Him, physically trusting Him to supply our every need and spiritually trusting His working in us to be righteous. On the first Sabbath, the first full day of their existence, before they had done any real work themselves, Adam and Eve were invited to take part in God's resting from His physical work of creation. That appointment still stands. Each Sabbath, we too are invited to rest both physically and spiritually by faith in Jesus' physical and spiritual life in our behalf. The physical rest on the 7th Day is a reminder that we must rest every day, in the spiritual sense, as He renews His righteousness in us by His Spirit. It is only by His working in us that we can become righteous, fully keeping God's law. (Phillipians 2:13) A "Sabbath keeper" that thinks ceasing from work on the Sabbath qualifies one for salvation or in any way merits God's mercy is actually performing "works of the flesh." To put ones trust in ones own power to merit salvation is nothing short of idolatry. In Galatians 5:19, 20 Paul lists idolatry as one of the works of the flesh. Those who trust in the creature (beast) rather than their Creator are in effect worshipping the "beast." The 4th commandment is a call to remember our Creator, to trust and rest in His creative power. This is why Revelation 14:11 proclaims there is no rest for those who worship the beast! (See Revelation 14:6-12 to review the proclamation messages of the three angels. Please note the call to worship our Creator in the first angels message - verses 6 & 7.) If we believe that God is accomplishing our salvation, we can enter true rest by faith. Our ceasing to labor on the Sabbath, then, is not in order to be saved but rather because we are saved. We put away our everyday concerns and pleasures (Isaiah 58:13,14) during the Sabbath hours so that we can keep God's appointment with us and have undistracted communion with Him!
My friend, are you tired of trying to be "good" in your own strength? Can you see that the 4th Commandment is the only one out of the Ten that we automatically spiritually break by trying to keep in our own power? Jesus says, "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28&29)
Perhaps you have the uneasy feeling that your life in "grace" is not much different than the lives of the lost souls around you, and you long to live a life set aside in Holiness. God will make you righteous if you ask Him to work out His righteousness (His law) in you. This is the recreation of which the Sabbath is a reminder today! Jesus paid the price for our salvation on Calvary. You can rest in the merits of that completed act! Aren't you glad the Sabbath was made for man! (Mark 2:27)
Take courage dear Christian! "There remains . . .a Sabbath rest for the people of God!" (Hebrews 4:9 NAS)
Dear Heavenly Father. Please forgive our lack of faith in you. Please bring us into your true Sabbath rest. Please forgive us for physically and spiritually breaking your 4th commandment. Teach us to truly trust in You. Please write Your law on our hearts. Work to fulfill Your law in us just as You did in Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Gift
First of all God gave the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins so we might be saved.
But at creation He gave another gift to man. A gift that many have not received. It is only waiting to be opened.
In the beginning God created the heaven and earth and all living things. In Genesis 1:27-31 "He created man in His own image on the 6th day. He saw that everything He made was very good."
In Genesis 2:2 "And by the 7th day God completed His work which He had done."
Verse 3 "Then God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
The 7th day is the Sabbath and it commemorates His creation. It was so important that He made it one of His 10 Commandments. He made it for man. A gift for man to rest. For physical and spiritual renewal. Adam and Eve's very 1st full day of life in the garden of Eden was Sabbath the 7th day. God spent that day with them resting from His works.
Exodus 20:8-10 The 4th commandment begins with the word "Remember." Did God somehow know that we would forget His Holy Sabbath?
In Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man (Jesus) is Lord of the Sabbath."
Read the entire chapters of 3 & 4 of Hebrews. In verse 9 "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His." This wonderful special day the Lord made for His people as a sign for those who live by faith. He promises that anything we have given up or not done will be held over. Nothing will be lost.
Keeping Sabbath is not in tune with the world. Most of our worship is centered around Sunday, the 1st day of the week. Many have to work on the 7th day. Some even say it doesn't matter what day we worship, yet the Lord had a day that He made, called His own and sanctified it. And that day is the 7th day. The day we call Saturday.
In the beginning keeping the Sabbath may seem impossible and may even cost you a job but, there are special blessings in this gift. Resting in the Lord on the Sabbath has a promise that only in keeping it can you receive it. The gift is there if only you will trust Him. He only waits for you to call upon Him and He will give you rest.
Keeping the Sabbath is not the burden that some may place upon it. God never meant for it to be a burden. It does not save you. It is a special day for You and the Lord. A day to spend with Him. A day to spend with your family and friends. A day to enjoy what God has made for you. Look at all the beauty around you in this world. The trees and flowers, sky and stars. All the things God made. Do good on the Sabbath, as Jesus did. Visiting those who are sick or in prison. Doing things for others. Resting from your labors. Such a gift for man!
Our prayer is for you to find the beauty of the Sabbath. The gift God made for man.
But at creation He gave another gift to man. A gift that many have not received. It is only waiting to be opened.
In the beginning God created the heaven and earth and all living things. In Genesis 1:27-31 "He created man in His own image on the 6th day. He saw that everything He made was very good."
In Genesis 2:2 "And by the 7th day God completed His work which He had done."
Verse 3 "Then God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
The 7th day is the Sabbath and it commemorates His creation. It was so important that He made it one of His 10 Commandments. He made it for man. A gift for man to rest. For physical and spiritual renewal. Adam and Eve's very 1st full day of life in the garden of Eden was Sabbath the 7th day. God spent that day with them resting from His works.
Exodus 20:8-10 The 4th commandment begins with the word "Remember." Did God somehow know that we would forget His Holy Sabbath?
In Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man (Jesus) is Lord of the Sabbath."
Read the entire chapters of 3 & 4 of Hebrews. In verse 9 "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His." This wonderful special day the Lord made for His people as a sign for those who live by faith. He promises that anything we have given up or not done will be held over. Nothing will be lost.
Keeping Sabbath is not in tune with the world. Most of our worship is centered around Sunday, the 1st day of the week. Many have to work on the 7th day. Some even say it doesn't matter what day we worship, yet the Lord had a day that He made, called His own and sanctified it. And that day is the 7th day. The day we call Saturday.
In the beginning keeping the Sabbath may seem impossible and may even cost you a job but, there are special blessings in this gift. Resting in the Lord on the Sabbath has a promise that only in keeping it can you receive it. The gift is there if only you will trust Him. He only waits for you to call upon Him and He will give you rest.
Keeping the Sabbath is not the burden that some may place upon it. God never meant for it to be a burden. It does not save you. It is a special day for You and the Lord. A day to spend with Him. A day to spend with your family and friends. A day to enjoy what God has made for you. Look at all the beauty around you in this world. The trees and flowers, sky and stars. All the things God made. Do good on the Sabbath, as Jesus did. Visiting those who are sick or in prison. Doing things for others. Resting from your labors. Such a gift for man!
Our prayer is for you to find the beauty of the Sabbath. The gift God made for man.
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