During the period between the Old and New Testaments, Jewish religious leaders added greatly to the details of Sabbath legislation. They sought to insure proper and careful observance by making certain that people did not even come close to violating it. This substituted human law for divine law and make law a burden rather than a rest and delight, and reduced the Sabbath to little more than an external observance. Jesus, like the Old Testament prophets, kept the Sabbath Himself and urged others to observe the day. But He condemned the Pharisees attitude that missed the deep spiritual truth behind Sabbath observance.
Hypocrites! It was you Isaiah meant when he so rightly prophesied:
This people honours me only in lip service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless;
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. - Matt. 15:8-9 -
A lawyer then spoke up. 'Master', he said 'when you speak like this you insults us too'. 'Alas for you lawyers also, he replied 'because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift. - Luke 11:45-46 -
At that time Jesus......... For the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath. - Matt. 12:1-8 -
Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. - Luke 4:16 -
And Jesus said to them, 'The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath'. - Mark 2:27-28 - Matt. 12:14; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1-11; John 5:1-18 -
Many Christians feel that God still expects His people to set aside one day in seven to Him. They argue that such an observance is a creation ordinance which is binding until this creation comes to an end and our ultimate rest as Christians is realized in heaven. - Heb. 4 - They also believed that as part of the moral system known as the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is morally binding upon all people for all all time. Historically, Christians of this persuasion usually observe Sunday, the first day of the week, as Christian Sabbath. They note that Christ arouse on the first day of the week. - Matt. 28:1 - And thereafter, the New Testament Church regularly worshiped on Sunday. This day on which Jesus arouse was called the LORD'S DAY. - Acts 20:7; 1Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10 -
The Sabbath is a means by which man's living pattern imitates God's. - Ex. 20:3-11 - Work is followed by rest. This idea is expressed by the Hebrew word for Sabbath which means "cessation". Sabbath rest is also a time for God's people to think about and enjoy what God has accomplished. Another Hebrew word meaning "rest" embodies this idea. God's people are directed to keep the Sabbath because God delivered and redeemed His people from the bondage in Egypt. Thus, the Sabbath is an ordinance that relates redemption directly to history.
Sabbath rest holds promise of the ultimate salvation that God will accomplish for His people. As certainly as He delivered them from Egypt from Moses, so will He deliver His people from sin at the end of the age through the Great Redeemer. - Heb. 4 -
Finally, the Sabbath includes the idea and practice of celebrating rest or salvation. To this end, God declared that His Sabbath was a day for public convocation, a special time for His people to gather together in public worship to signify their submission to His lordship over them and their way of living. The Sabbath celebration includes the Sabbath as a Sacrament - a gift of God that allows man to enter into God's rest (salvation).
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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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