Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Which Day is the Sabbath?

According to the Bible, God's Word, the Sabbath Day is the 7th day of the week, which is from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night.  Jesus, (God the Creator, Colossians 1:15, 16), made the Sabbath Day at Creation for all mankind.   (The Jewish people were not in existence yet.  Genesis 2:2-3).  This explains why the 4th Commandment begins with the word, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy."  This is also why Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  (Mark 2:27-28).  In that statement, Jesus is clearly referring back to Creation and re-stating that the 7th day is His day, the true Lord's Day.

Genesis 2:3 says that "God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."  It was God Who "sanctified" the Sabbath Day, making it "holy and set apart".  Because He rested from His work on that day, He commands that no work is to be done on it - either by us or by our causing other people to work on that day for us.  (Exodus 20:8-11).  Since God is our Father and we are His children, we are to follow in His footsteps. 

The Sabbath is a day to be different from the other 6 days in our week.  Many Christians think it doesn't matter which day of the week we worship God on.  It's important that we remember that God never called the first day of the week (Sunday) "holy" or any of the other 5 days.  The Sabbath Day, which is the 7th day of the week, is the only day which God called "holy" and by doing so, He consecrated it to Himself as a day for us to shut the world out so we can spend time in worship, fellowship, and relationship with Him. 

Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15).  Since the Sabbath Day is one of God's Ten Commandments, the first reason we are to honor the Sabbath Day is because of our love for Jesus Christ and the grace He has so richly poured out upon us for our salvation.  Secondly, because of all that He's done for us, it should be our heart's desire to be obedient to His Word and to all of His commandments.  As David the Psalmist said in Psalm 119:174, "Your law is my delight."

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

When is The Sabbath Day: The Illogical Thinking of Sunday Christians

I was just thinking the other day about the illogical thinking of so many "Sunday" Christians when they don't like being told by God in Exodus 20:10 that they are not to work on the 7th day of the week (Saturday) because it is a holy day to the Lord.  Basically they are saying, "WE want to be able to work 7 days a week" (or have others work to serve them), and they call that "freedom from the law".

The Sunday Christian says:  "I want the freedom (from God's law) to work 7 days a week or whatever day I choose to work."

But GOD SAYS working 7 days a week is bondage (slavery).  That's why He pulled the Israelites out of Egypt. (By the way, this also shows God's GRACE and LOVE to mankind within His moral law.)

GOD SAYS:  We are to only work 6 days a week, then we are to rest on the 7th day (Saturday) from our work.  Why?  Because God rested from His work of creation on the 7th day.  (See Genesis 2:2-3).  According to Colossians 1:16, Jesus Christ is God the Creator, and it was He Who rested from His work.  So as His children, we are to follow in His footsteps.

The Sunday Christian says: "Honoring the 7th day Sabbath (Saturday), is bondage to God's law."  They don't think about the fact that this is a wonderful gift God gave us out of His love and grace.  God knows that mankind cannot work 24/7!!  Yet, because God tells us we can work the first 6 days of the week but then we need to take off work on the 7th day (Saturday), the Sunday Christian accuses God of putting him/her under bondage!  What kind of thinking is that?

On the other hand, if they are allowed to work 7 days a week, then the Sunday Christian thinks he/she is "free" and not under "bondage"!!  Again, what kind of thinking is that?

My question is:  Who in their right mind actually WANTS to work 7 days a week??  Answer:  No one!  But like a little two-year old who is told not to do something and turns around and disobeys his parent's command because he doesn't want to be told what to do - so the Sunday Christian will choose to work on the 7th day (Saturday) JUST BECAUSE HE/SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO (by Almighty God Himself)!

True freedom comes when we choose to obey what God tells us to do in His Word.  Bondage and slavery come when we choose to disobey what God tells us to do in His Word.

God says in Deuteronomy 30:15-16:  "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments...."  The Sunday Christian will say this is Old Testament teaching; that we are not under the Old Testament but the New Testament.  Well, let's see what Jesus said in John 14:15:  "If you love Me, you will keep (obey) My commandments."  The commandments Jesus was referring to were the 10 Commandments, and the 4th Commandment of those 10 says, "but the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.  In it you shall do no work". (Ex. 20:10)

When is the Sabbath Day?  It is the seventh day of the week, Saturday.  It just can't get any clearer, understandable, or more logical than that.