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

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

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Connective conjunction kai - kaiV + definite he’ - h& + predicate nominative singular noun latreia - latreiva = worship, especially the worship of the Levitical priesthood. “And the worship of God”

It is a reference to the modus operandi or the manner of operation of the Levitical priesthood, the Levitical offerings, the articles of furniture in the tabernacle, in the temple, the holy days, the feasts, etc.

The Passover represents salvation adjustment to the justice of God.

In giving the Law for His people, God set several appointed “feasts of the Lord” for Israel to observe at specific times during the year, Lev 23.

The first holy day God set aside is the Sabbath day, which was to be observed every week.
The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week or Saturday.

The Sabbath was to remind the Jews of the principle of grace. It reminded them that you could do nothing for salvation; you can do nothing for spirituality; you can do nothing to gain the approbation and the blessing of God.

Point 1. Introduction. Freedom demands rest and rest demands freedom. The Sabbath was a “thinking day” when you didn’t work physically but sat somewhere, rested, and thought.

There are two kinds of Sabbath: The temporal Sabbath is the faith-rest technique of the believer in HEB 3:11and the moment-by-moment Sabbath of HEB 4:1-7, and there’s the eternal Sabbath of MAT 11:28.

ECC 4:9-10 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.

ECC 4:12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three {strands} is not quickly torn apart.

The Sabbath then was the basis of spirituality in the Old Testament dispensations; i.e., believing, claiming, and resting on verses, principles, and doctrines.

In 6 days God took the earth, which was a mess from the rulership of Satan...and He restored it.

Food, perfect climate, a garden, He even provided a Bible class with the greatest Bible teacher of all time...the Lord God.

GEN 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. KJV

“And He rested” = Qal imperfect of shabath - wayishbot = to rest.

This is what we call the “Sabbath” or the “rest of grace” because everything that man would ever need was provided by God.

Perfect environment was provided and nothing could be added to it.

God does the work and man does the benefiting.

So you go at least from GEN 2:2 to EXO 16:23 which is approximately 1441 B.C.
You have anywhere from 3 to 4 thousand years without the mention of the Sabbath.

They would work for 6 days...Sunday through Friday; then, on the 7th day, Saturday, man would rest.

ROM 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

“Rest” is a memorial to the grace of God. Because there was nothing else for Him to provide. Just like God provided for Adam in perfect environment, God has provided for you in eternity past everything you will ever need.

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].” Eternal life is not characterized by rocking in some rocking chair on the porch resting, but by tranquility of mind and fantastic blessing.

Point 3. Supergrace rest.

The land of Canaan known as the promise land is a type of the supergrace life, and in the context of HEB 3:11, supergrace is manifest by having faith-rest.

We have had the good news proclaimed to us just as truly as the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them.

We received the same promises as those Jews in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith in the One Who promised.

For instance, if you had saddled a horse on Friday, you could not remove the saddle if the horse was still saddled on the Sabbath.

God had said to Adam,
GEN 2:16 “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;”
Than Satan turned it into,
GEN 3:1 “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

PRO 27:19 As in water face {reflects} face, So the heart of man {reflects} man.
ISA 3:9 The expression of their faces bears witness against them.