| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net Missed it by a day! We had a really good response to last Sunday's message about the Sabbath, why we don't, why we hold formal worship on Sunday, and what the real problem is. Some asked me to put it in this article, so here we go. There are many Utube vids espousing basically that worship on Sunday is the actual mark O the beast. I get things stuffed anonymously in my mailbox once or twice a year telling me I'm going to hell along with the balance of my congregation for just such an offence. If this is something that troubles you, I have good news. This may be liberating for you. I cannot speak for other denominations, but I am to be ready in all seasons to give an account for my hope. I am to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth". 2nd Tim. 2:15. First some foundation. 1)I am not Jewish. 2) Jesus changed some things. 3) We are followers of Jesus (to the Glory of God the Father), and 4) we strive to be a New Testament, God established, Called out, Separated, Bride of Christ. So, if you're trusting in your worship on the Sabbath to get you into heaven, take a deep breath and fasten your pewbelts. Jesus said in the Great Commission of Matt. 28, "...teaching them to observe whatsoever (all) things I have commanded you". Jesus changed (to the nuclear blowup of the Pharisees) for instance: The Passover to the Lord's Supper. He would say things like - You have heard it said (quoting Levitical law), but I say..... and he would add to or even change it. Nugget. The religious leaders of the day were wroth when He did so. He changed the Old Covenant (Jeremiah 31) to the New Covenant - 1st Cor. 11. In John 13:34, He says: "A new commandment I give you" - Their heads exploded at this one. The Pharisees over time had taken 10 Commandments and rendered them down to over 640 laws. You couldn't put on your slippers without breaking one. Jesus on the other hand, took 10 commandments and reduced them to two. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength, and the second is like unto it. You shall love thy neighbor as thyself. In this, all the law is fulfilled". Do you see now why our burden is light? Can you see Peter's reasoning in Acts 15:10? God the Father says at least twice (Jesus' baptism and the Transfiguration) "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased". So in a nutshell, we are followers of Jesus. The Sabbath is from 6pm Friday, to 6pm Saturday. We are not trying to change it. So why Sunday? When Paul would enter a town, he would go to the Synagogue on the Sabbath day to contend with Jewish folks that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. But on the First day (Sunday) the New Testament Church assembled. They Broke bread (fellowship meals), they observed the Lord's Supper (Acts 20), they raised money (Acts 16:2). There are 9 Commandments mentioned 109 times in the New Testament, and never #4 with the exception of Col. 2:16-17 where folks were already fussing about it, and Paul tells them to stop. Romans 14:5-6 urges us not to allow it to be an issue. See also Gal. 4:8-9. When the pious religious leaders contended with Jesus, their preferred argument was always ---- the Sabbath. (He set people free, disciples eating bread, winnowing wheat, healing, and all on the Sabbath - gasp). Jesus' response? "The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath". And my personal favorite, Christ resurrected on Sunday. It is not the "Christian Sabbath", it is "The Lord's Day" and is called that in Rev. 1:10. Listen, if you are trusting in Christ as your Lord and thereby Savior, and you choose to hold formal worship on Saturday, God bless you. But when you tell me deviance from that will send me to hell, we have a problem. We are to be "Living sacrifices" (lineal tense) all the time. Each day is the Lords. Pray without ceasing (1st Thes. 5). The real problem is Faith vs Works, and Lord willing we will address that next time. God bless, and If the Son of Man shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed. |
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