Labor

On a Holy Day

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And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him. And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand,
“Stand forth.”
And He saith unto them,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill?”
But they held their peace. And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man,
“Stretch forth thine hand.”
And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.                             Mark 3:1-6

“Is it right to do good or evil on a holy day?” That should be the question for the law monger of the Christian era.

If the legalists of Jesus’s day were okay with delivering a sheep from the ditch (Matthew 12:10-14) on this holy day ( the Sabbath), then surely it would be right to deliver a man whose labor was hindered by a “withered hand”, and his right hand (Luke 6:6), which was the strong hand for most laborers.

Hardened hearts which is said in the above text blinds eyes to truth, and loves to accuse those who labor for the truth, righteousness and healing. Like they were doing to the Most Righteous One.

You see, for those who are truly righteous through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ every day is a holy day; and it is always good to do the right thing; even laboring for the benefit of others. Especially deliverance.

 

The Lord of the Harvest

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But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples,
“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.”   Matthew 9:36-38

Discretion and Knowledge; Sowing and Reaping

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“My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: that thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.”  Proverbs 5:1-2
“Say not ye, ‘There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?’ Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, ‘One soweth, and another reapeth.’
I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”  John 4:35-38

We need to ask the Lord to give us always the heart and mind for sound judgment; that requires wisdom, understanding and knowledge. That also requires us listening to others – even those we disagree with on certain things that we might grow in knowledge.

Since Jesus tells us that the harvest is already ready, then we need to see the great need for telling the lost and the condemned and the perishing that Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God gave His life on the cross for our sins, He was buried carrying away all our sin, guilt and condemnation, then He rose and came out of that grave alive justifying those who will believe, forever. O what a glorious harvest Jesus is reaping.

Life, Wealth, Pride, and Rejoicing

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“The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.
The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.”  Proverbs 13:8-11  (KJB)

Wisdom’s Discernment

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“When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.” Proverbs 23:1-8 (KJV)

The following are a few thoughts on chapter 23…

Verses 1 – 3; 6 – 8 — Be alert and aware when people in places of authority and power invite you to their table. The discerning one will be sickened by what the powerful is or was trying to do.

Verses 4 – 5 — The wise and discerning will not make seeking wealth and riches their life pursuit.

Verse 9 — The wise will know when to be silent around the foolish individual. Remember the words of Jesus…

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6).

Verses 10 – 11 — (Prov. 22:28; Deut 15:9) Further confirms this teaching. In these verses, however, there is reference to orphans. Someone seizing the land of an orphan or orphans will have the Redeemer defend the orphan agains the land grabber.

Verses 12 – 16, 19 — It is good to teach others [our children] to pursue instruction and knowledge. The Bible does teach corporal punishment (vv. 13-14). There is rejoicing within parents when their child is a success in life; especially in Christian parents when they see their child following the LORD.

Verses 17 – 18 — The Christian discerner should make godliness the prime search and pursuit of his/her life. The Christian has no right to envy “sinners”. If the Christian is living for God and His Son Jesus Christ the sinner will desire Christ too.

Verses 20 – 26 — Wise words from parents guide children in life, living righteously; education, labor; learning truth and its value. Children also learn from the example of parents (v. 26).

Verses 27 – 35 — In a world with the rebellious, feel good, party attitude, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die”; the wisdom of God warns of the perils of licentious (unrestrained by law or general morality; lawless; immoral), rebellious, iniquitous living.

I want you to know today that God loves you.  That the wisest decision you can make in life is to follow the Son of God who was given as a sacrifice for our sins.

Comfort for the Broken Hearted

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“Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Psalm 69:20-21 (KJV)

You have experienced it I am sure. Those times when you think a friend or loved one will stand with you, and for you; and they do not. The Psalmist David was experiencing one of those times when this Psalm was written.

Within it are 5 verses which are quoted in the New Testament concerning the Messiah. He had one of those days too. They gave Jesus vinegar to drink, mixed with gall, but He did not drink it (Matthew 27:34). That was while He was dying on the cross.

Now, what is “Gall”? It is a poisonous, bitter herb. It has come to mean “bitterness” like from others. What is reproach? “To find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame; censure.” from Dictionary.com.

These words “Reproach”, “Gall” and “Vinegar” show us that the Psalmist was hurting and no one was coming to his aid. We have all felt that way at one time or another. Let us remember our Saviour.

Jesus was a sinless, blameless, faithful Man of God, and Son of God, who did always those things that pleased the Father/God. He was accused of blasphemy against God. He was found guilty of sin, which He was not guilty of. He was given vinegar mixed with gall for “refreshment” while He was suffering. Do you still think you are having a bad day?

Not only all of that, but then, He was rejected by the Father, because He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Can you imagine the most heavenly man who ever walked on earth, being forsaken by all of heaven; when just hours before the angels of heaven were in attention awaiting His call to deliver Him; which did not come; and they now have turned their backs to Him?

If you think you have had it so bad; you have a lot of gall.

But Jesus said,

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus knows your broken heart, your every need, and He will not give you gall or vinegar to drink.

Building the House

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“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Psalm 127:1 (KJV)

You are a house.  You house a spirit; your spirit from which you get drive, ambition, dreams, and even successes and failures.  That spirit is dead to God though.

We can spend our lives doing “good” things.  We can feed the hungry, clothe the poor, provide them shelter from the cold and the heat; all “good” things, yet not have God the LORD building the house.  These are labors in vanity.  They will profit nothing for eternity.

The Psalmist says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it”.  Jesus said,

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

Kind of makes me wonder if Jesus did not have Psalm 127 in mind as He spoke these words.

Neither, can a guard watch a city effectively without the LORD who keeps it.

Stop trying to build your own life, and turn it over to the LORD.  Start by trusting Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour.  Then, go and feed the hungry, cloth the poor, and call them to repentance in faith of Christ Jesus.

Important Things In Life

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“I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (KJV)

Just a quick commentary here.

Solomon, considered to be the wisest of men of the earth.  Called the wisest of men by God’s own word found out what was really important.  He had great wealth.  His worth was most likely beyond that of Gates or the Waltons.  However, he looked for the meaning to life in things, and found only vanity and vexation of spirit (emptiness).

When we go through life looking for its meaning and purpose through getting knowledge, wisdom or things; when our lives draw near their end we will still be searching and empty.  There is only fulfillment in life when we realize that it is found in the life, death, burial and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.  When we see Him as the Son of God, and God the Son sent to be the payment for our own sins, and the sins of the world, then, will there be fulfillment, peace, and joy.  With that comes eternal life.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will find your life, and the IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE.

Everlasting Sustenance

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“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed.” ~Jesus  (John 6:26-27)

Words for Christian Living – Living the Gospel

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“But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”  1 Corinthians 15:15-18 (KJV)  

The apostle Paul did not seek to improve his stature in the Church.  His mission was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He had the right to be paid for his labors, yet he asked for nothing.  Far too many times ministers of Christ exalt themselves in ministry.  That is an assault, and an insult against the work of God, the Spirit of God, Christianity, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is free of charge; yet it is not free, because it cost Jesus His life.

-Tim A. Blankenship  

Life is Short

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We hear of  people living to be 90 to 100+ years of age.  We marvel at reaching such ages.  We read, however, in the Scriptures of people living to be hundreds of years in age, then dying.

The Psalmist wrote,

“Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before Thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.”  Psalm 39:5 (KJV)

And these are words that we know and hear.  Every human being knows that life is short, and many seek to live much longer.  We read in Psalm 90,

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is there strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (90:10)

The measure of a “handbreadth” is probably one of the shortest physical measures of man.  It is used to measure the height of a horse.  We are told that a horse is 14 hands high, and that means at the top of  their shoulder.  David says, “Life is short.” and it is.

A few years ago I was reading where the Psalmist had written, “So teach us to number our days…” and I began to think seriously about how old I was in days.  I did some calculations and came to a conclusion, and I still number my days.  To this day I am now 20,950 days old.  In days, at least to me, that does not seem so long.  I was just thinking if I had a dollar for every day, it would not equal a poverty level annual income.

Life is short.  So we best be sure that our lives are in connection with the LORD of Hosts through His Son Jesus.  The Psalmist has written the word “Selah” at the end of this verse.  I take that word to mean, “Pause and reflect” on what has just been said.  Life is short.  Let us reflect the image of God in a dark and dying world.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Day 47 – The Wisdom of Proverbs

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There is much we can learn from reading the proverbs of the Bible.  I am not commenting about the verses I post today except to show them to you for your perusal, and pray you will go to the book itself, and read them.  There is much wisdom to gain by reading and applying them.

My reading today was Proverbs 15 – 28.  I post some of the verses I marked as I read.

From chapter 16 –

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”  Proverbs 16:9

Chapter 19 –

 “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” 19:21

Chapter 20 –

“An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.”  20:21
“Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” 20:24

From 21 –

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” 21:1
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” 21:3
“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.” 21:5

From chapter 22 –

“The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.”  22:2
“The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and He overthroweth the words of the transgressor.” 22:12
“The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.” 22:13

Chapter 23 –

 “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” 23:4-5

From 24 –

“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.” 24:17-18
“These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.  He that saith unto the wicked, ‘Thou art righteous;’ him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: but to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.” 24:23-25

Chapter 26 –

“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.” 26:12
“The slothful man saith, ‘There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.'” 26:13
“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.  As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.  The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” 26:20-22

Chapter 27 –

“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.” 27:12

and the final chapter of the day 28 –

“For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.” 28:2
“To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.” 28:21
“When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.” 28:28

May the wisdom of Solomon and Hezekiah lead you to a closer walk with our Creator through faith in His finished work of Calvary’s cross.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Day 14 – Promised Land Entry

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Many years before the LORD had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their descendents would inherit the land of Canaan as their possession.  I do not doubt that they must have had wonder, and questions as to how God would carry out this great event.  It was not for them to know the how; but to trust and believe that GOD would do it.

My reading this morning was from Deuteronomy 29 – Joshua 8.  Covering the time shortly before the death of Moses; and his preparing of the people for his death, encouragement to obey the laws of God or else be cursed by God.  The Word of God plays a very important part in the children of Israel’s lives (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).

Moses gave them a song before he went up on Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, was given the view of all the  Promised Land and there he died.  The song of Moses (32:1-43) is a song of the glory of the LORD, His power, His protection of His people, His deliverance and of Israel’s stubbornness.  We finally see Moses handing over the leadership to Joshua, before Moses goes to the mount.

We now get to the book of Joshua.

“Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.   Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.   This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.   Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”  Joshua 1:6-9 (KJV)

Joshua must have been a bit overwhelmed by the task before Him.  He is now the leader of this mass of people who are called Israel; and they are to enter the land and destroy every idol, every people, removing all unholiness from the land; purifying it for the glory of the LORD.

Three times in these four verses GOD says to Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage’, or “Be strong and very courageous’, and “Be strong and of a good courage”.  The LORD promises, “For the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”  Now who can fail with a word like that.

The victory over Jericho is certain and sure because of the LORD.  However, they go after a smaller city “‘Ai” and fail to conquer it.  There are some things I think can be seen for their failure at Ai.  First of all, it seems they thought they had the power;

“And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, ‘Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.” 7:3

Another thing missing is their lack of seeking God’s approval, and lack of prayer.  It just could be that had they prayed the LORD would have revealed the sin of Achan earlier.  The reason I mention these things is because they seem to practice these things previous to their Jericho victory.  Joshua, the army of GOD and the people needed to know that it is God who gives the victory.

Christian, it is still God who gives the victory.  The victory over sin has been accomplished by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, His burial and His bodily resurrection.  Be strong and of a good courage Christian.  The LORD gives the victory  in the wilderness and in the Promised Land.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Resting Is For Man…

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“And 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.  And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?  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?  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?  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:  Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”  Mark 2:23-28 (KJV)

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” Gen 2:2 (KJV)

Thus God gave us a sign even in His creation work that we are to have rest.  It was instilled into creation before it was in the law.  It was given to benefit us, to care for our health and well being.  God never intended it to be a crippling thing to keep us from having needs met or meeting others needs.

Even more importantly is the day of rest of which the writer of Hebrews speaks of

(“For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.  For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.   Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.  Hebrews 4:4-11 (KJV)”).

There is a rest which everyone needs, and that is the rest which can only be found by faith in Jesus Christ.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Lord Our Strength

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THE LORD OUR STRENGTH

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11).

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (Mark 12:30).

This is the fourth and final commandment having to do with our relationship with God. It is important to have this relationship. We are born into this world with that relationship in deadness. There is no spiritual heart for God. The law is pure evidence that this is so. There is no human being who has obeyed the law of God completely, except the Son of God Himself – Jesus Christ.

In the first commandment God says, “Thou shalt have no other gods”, and the title of the first article was, A REQUIRED HEART OF DEVOTION which says that the heart of the person of God is devoted solely to Him. The second commandment says, “Thou shalt not make any graven image…”, and the title of that article is THE SOUL SEEKS FOR GOD, because it is in every man to worship something, but due to sin is always looking in the wrong place, except by the grace of God and His calling unto Himself. The third commandment says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain…”, and the article is titled SPEAKING FROM THE MIND, because the mind that is not given to God will use God’s name vainly, emptily. The final commandment of the four dealing with our God relationship says, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy….”, and the title is THE LORD OUR STRENGTH.

We will look at four things in this article;

I. THE SABBATH DAY OF GOD (Genesis 2:1-3).

II. THE SABBATH DAY COMMANDMENT (Deuteronomy 5:12-15).

III. THE SABBATH DAY AND THE CHRISTIAN (Hebrews 4:1-10).

IV. THE SABBATH AS A SHADOW (Colossians 2:16-17).

In the first place the Sabbath was initiated by God after the sixth day of creation when His work was finished. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:1-3). In creation God established a work cycle for mankind. Contrary to some beliefs work is not a part of the curse. Laziness is a sin and is a part of the curse. God made it where every hard working person would have a day of rest and worship. It is still necessary to have a day to rest and to worship the Lord our God. It is a shame on our society in which people work seven days a week and never give God a thought. The only god some people worship is the “Greenback” which can do absolutely nothing for peace or joy.

Secondly, The children of Israel were commanded to honor/remember the Sabbath day, “Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). God gave them laws which told them if they did not rest and worship Him, then they would die, and do so by stoning, “And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Numbers 15:32-36). For Israel it was a day for renewing their strength after six days of laboring, and for worshipping God. The Christian is not bound by this commandment. We find our strength and rest in Him. He is in fact our rest and strength. That does not mean that we are to forsake the day of worship. It does mean that our worship is to be everyday, and when we join with our brothers and sisters on Sundays to lift up the name of our Lord and Savior, and God.

Thirdly, the Christian and the Sabbath is shown us in Hebrews 4:1-11. There we are told, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief…”. Because Jesus fulfilled this and all the law by His complete and perfect obedience to God, His Father, we are privileged and honored to join together on the first day of the week to do so, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” (Acts 20:7). “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.” (Romans 14:5-6). The reason we worship on Sunday is because of the fulfillment and completion of the law in Christ Jesus and His resurrection on Sunday morning. The Christian’s rest is in Jesus Christ, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28). Jesus said this before He died and was buried and rose again. That means it was so in the beginning as well.

In the final point, the Sabbath can be seen as a shadow or type of something better. The lamb without spot or blemish was a shadow/type of Jesus the true sacrificial Lamb. The Sabbath is only a shadow of better things. The sabbath of the law condemns us all. As it is fulfilled in Christ it gives rest for all eternity. Jesus Christ is the anti-type; He is the genuine article; He is the True. He is the total fulfillment of the law. He is our strength. Giving your life to Jesus is giving your life to “ceasing from your own works” and trusting in Him.

The law [all of it] was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, not nullified. To worship Him on the first day of the week is to say we have ceased from our own labor of keeping the law and we rest in Him.