Saturday, March 19, 2005

The Sabbath Relooked!

When was the sabbath ordained unto man to follow?
We should probably start in Genesis.
Genesis 2:2-3
2On the seventh day, having finished his task,
God rested from all his work. 3And God blessed
the seventh day and declared it holy, because
it was the day when he rested from his work of
creation.
Ok now, he didn't say we had to rest on that day.
He said he blessed it and made it holy.
Now we go to the time of the Israelites in the
wilderness for 40 years being served manna
from the sky daily, except on the sabbath.
Exodus 31:12-17
12
The LORD then gave these further instructions
to Moses: 13"Tell the people of Israel to keep my
Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the
covenant between me and you forever. It helps
you to remember that I am the LORD, who
makes you holy. 14Yes, keep the Sabbath day,
for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die;
anyone who works on that day will be cut off
from the community. 15Work six days only, but
the seventh day must be a day of total rest.
I repeat: Because the LORD considers it a holy day,
anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put
to death. 16The people of Israel must keep the
Sabbath day forever. 17It is a permanent sign of
my covenant with them. For in six days the
LORD made heaven and earth, but he rested on
the seventh day and was refreshed."
This seems a bit extreme.... God doesn't play games.
We have to now look at whether this is a command
that is carried on into the new testament and
set forth further in Jesus new laws or if it was
just for the Israelites.
Mark 2:23-28
23And it came to pass, that he went through the
corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples
began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24
And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold,
why do they on the sabbath day that which
is not lawful?
25
And he said unto them, Have ye never read
what David did, when he had need, and was an
hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26
How he went into the house of God in the
days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat
the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat
but for the priests, and gave also to them
which were with him?
27
And he said unto them, The sabbath was
made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
ok so... if David didn't follow the sabbath to
the extreme that the Israelites were told to
and Jesus said that was ok and said that he
is Lord over the sabbath how then are we to
use the sabbath?
Acts 18:4-6
4
And he reasoned in the synagogue every
sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
5And when Silas and Timotheus were come
from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit,
and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
6
And when they opposed themselves, and
blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said
unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads;
I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
verse one says this is Paul...
This is after Jesus crucifixion....
This is Paul trying to reason with Jews and the
Greeks trying to tell them about Jesus.
He gives up and wipes his hands clean and goes
unto the Gentiles. He wasn't in the synagogue
because it was the sabbath, he was there to try
to minister to the lost.
Acts 15:21
For these laws of Moses have been preached in
Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath
for many generations."

What I make of all this is such:
The sabbath was ordained by God in the very
beginning as a day of rest. God gave the
Israelites the command to follow it strictly, but
when Jesus was crucified and resurrected the old
law was fulfilled completely and no longer necessary
to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Instead what
Jesus ordained as the new law is simply this:
Believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Repent of your sins and turn away from your
wicked ways taking up the cross daily.
Confess before men that Jesus Christ is Lord
of your life.
And be buried in water, baptized for the remission
of sins, all according to what Jesus and his disciples
taught in the New Testament.
So do we follow the sabbath or not?
I think that's left up to us to decide.
A mans body needs rest and one day a week is
a good way to do it.
Is it a command for us to follow today?
I don't think so.
Is it hard to follow? Not really.....
It is if you try to follow it the way the Jews then did.
Follow it the way Jesus did. If something needs done,
do it. If you're hungry, then eat. If someone needs
healing, then heal them.
Pick a day, one day a week, to always have free to rest.
This is I feel the best way to have a sabbath today.

Friday, March 18, 2005


My Parents who raised me to know there is a loving Saviour! Posted by Hello

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Sabbath

Are we or are we not to keep the sabbath today?
I have been going through a study course
the past couple weeks that has been bringing alot
of things in the bible into a new light for me.
I have long since felt that the sabbath is a very
important day of the week and is not to be taken
lightly. God said remember the sabbath to keep it
Holy. The seventh day is for rest in every week.
In the old testament, in the old law, is where we
find this commandment to the Israelites.
When Jesus came he said that he has come to
fulfill the law of Moses that we would no longer
be bound by it but that it was complete or finished
when he died and shed His blood on the cross for
us so that we didn't have to perform sacrifices
and other laws that given for cleansing and
sanctifying purposes. I never really thought about
the fact that it says nowhere in the new testament
that we are to keep the sabbath. Jesus didn't even
keep the sabbath according to Jewish law.
In the new testament we are given a new set of
laws to follow. We are told to follow Christ. We see
in Mark 16:16 the great commission. Go into all
nations and preach the gospel to all men. This is
the most important thing that we as Christians
can do for the kingdom. In Acts 2 verses 38 & 39
it says: "Peter replied,"Each of you must turn from
your sins and turn to G0d,a nd be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sin. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. This promise is to you and to your children,
and even to the Gentiles- all who have been called
by the Lord our God."
This is what we are told we need to do now to
become part of the kingdom of God. We are to
believe, repent, turn away from our sins of past,
and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins,
then we will be assured our place in His kingdom.
This is the law that Jesus set forth. This is law
that we are to follow. If we believe, repent, turn
away, and then are baptized we will be saved.

His People

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then will
I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin
and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will
be open and my ears attentive to the prayers
offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and
consecrated this temple so that my Name may
be there forever. My eyes and my heart will
always be there.
Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which
God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the
eternal life to which you were called when you
made your good confession in the presence of many
witnesses.
Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is
called Today, so that none of you may be hardened
by sin's deceitfulness.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you
may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a
little while, will himself restore you and make you
strong, firm and steadfast.
1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are! The reason the world does not know
us is that it did not know him.
Revelation 17:14
They will make war against the Lamb, but the
Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of
lords and King of kings–and with him will be his
called, chosen and faithful followers.”