The Sabbath is to remind us of the principle of grace and rest. Part 5

The Sabbath is to remind us of the principle of grace and rest. Part 5.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

PSA 37:7a Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

ROM 9:4 - Paul said that his heart went out to the Jews, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the service of God in the temples

Point 1. Introduction. Freedom demands rest and rest demands freedom.
Point 2. Salvation rest.
MAT 11:28 - the eternal Sabbath is eternal life.
MAT 11:28 “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [eternal life].”

Point 3. The land of Canaan known as the promise land is a type of the supergrace life, and in the context ofHEB 3:11, supergrace is manifest by having faith-rest.
Point 4. The Origin of the Sabbath Rest, GEN 2:2-3.

Point 5. The Sabbath was Given to Israel as a Command from God, EXO 20:8-11; DEU 5:12-15; LEV 23:3; ISA 58:11-14.

Point 6. The Sabbatical Year of Israel,
EXO 23:10-11; LEV 25:3-4, LEV 26:33-37.

Point 7. The year of Jubilee, called a super sabbatical year,
LEV 25:8ff.

On the 50th year all the real estate in the land went back or was to be returned to its original owners; everything was to return to its original owners; all slaves were to be freed.

1CO 10:6 Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil, as they also craved.
ROM 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Because Israel pictures the believer’s soul in the New Testament, we can learn from their rituals the interpretation for them, but also we learn the spiritual application for us.

ISA 58:13
If because of the Sabbath [application: if because you are resting on the Lord for all things] you turn your foot From doing your {own} pleasure on My holy day [you don’t use My time for your personal advantage], And call the Sabbath or rest a delight or time of inner peace and joy, [and you call] the holy {day} [of rest] of the Lord honorable [you dedicate and devote that time to Him, your time of rest], -

- And shall honor or esteem it [by refusing to let the details of life choke you or consume you], desisting or abstaining from your {own} ways [what you desire to do], From seeking your {own} pleasure [self-gratification], And speaking {your own} word [your personal opinion or viewpoint rather than God’s word or divine viewpoint], -

- ISA 58:14 Then you will take delight in the Lord [you’ll be free to enjoy GOD], And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth [you will prosper and be promoted]; And I will feed you {with} the heritage of Jacob your father [I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your escrow blessings], For the mouth or the word of the Lord has spoken.

1TI 6:6-8 But living the spiritual life keeps on being a great means of prosperity when accompanied by contentment or capacity for life. For we have brought not even one thing into this world it is obvious that we cannot take anything out of it either.

Point 8. Profaning the Sabbath was Associated with Idolatry and the Apostasy of the Jews, EZE 23:37-39.
EZE 23:38 Again, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have profaned My sabbaths.

Point 9. Sabbath Violation Occurred even after the Restoration or the Jews were Restored Back to Their Promise Land, NEH 13:15-21.

This was an illustration that no matter how good God treated His people they still rebelled against Him, just like they did at the beginning in a perfect environment, Gen 3, and just like they will at the end of perfect environment, REV 20:8.

Point 10. The Sabbath Is Set Aside in the Church-age, COL 2:16-17; Galatians.

The memorial to grace in the Church-age is not Saturday but Sunday, the first day of the week,
1CO 16:2; ACT 20:7.

ACT 20:7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul {began} talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.

The Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, is not a “Christian Sabbath,” because the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week and belonged especially to the Jews.

Sunday is a special day to God’s people because it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, LUK 24:1; as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, ACT 2:1.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was something brand new.

You were made to live a life with definition, meaning, and purpose; you have a personal sense of destiny.

1. You were made to worship God for His pleasure.
ECC 12:13 After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that man was created for.

2. The second purpose of your life is discipleship: You were created to become like Christ.
ROM 8:29 God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son.

3. The third purpose of your life is fellowship: You were formed for a family, the Royal family.
JAM 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures or the first children in His new family.

4. The fourth purpose of your life is ministry: You were created for serving God.
EPH 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

5. The fifth purpose of your life is evangelism: You were made for a mission, MAT 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”