Praise the Lord everybody! Let everything that has breath Praise His holy name! I pray you all are enjoying God’s blessing as much as I am. One of those blessings is God’s peace and rest, which He gifted to us through His son Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Genesis that on the seventh day God rested from His labors and that He blessed it and sanctified it because in it He had rested from all His labors.(Genesis chapt.2) Moses wrote Genesis for the Jewish people after he gave them the law as a way of explaining the law amongst other things.
Exodus 31:16+17 states 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
This is The Law, The Old Covenant, there is nothing wrong with setting aside a day of rest in honor of what God has done, a day of fellowship and worship. Then comes Jesus the Christ who brought with Him a new Covenant known as the New Testament. Jesus states in Matthew 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, He created it, he goes on to state in verse 9-13 9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Jesus let us know that rules were not more important than people or animals and that it is lawful to do “well” on the Sabbath as well as during the rest of the week. Jesus Christ is our Sabbath rest in the flesh, He who came to save the “lost sheep” and the salvation He afforded them/us was more important then rules. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus states 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus offers us rest from our burden of sin. He offers us rest in our flesh and rest for our eternal souls. When Jesus had finished His work hanging on the cross for our sins, He said “it is finished” and arose to His “rest” at the right hand of God the father. When we finish our work here on earth for the Lord we will ourselves say it is finished and enter into our eternal rest with Him. When God ordained a day of rest after our labors back in Exodus it was just a precursor to the rest that would come in the form of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let me end with this, Hebrews 4:2-11 2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 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.
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
My time is well spent so let me just say this, don’t neglect the assembling of yourselves together as the word of God says. Keep the Sabbath, keep it holy, whatever day that is to you and believe on Jesus, He is our peace and rest.
God Bless you All, Brother Darrell, Speaking off the Wall
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