It has been a stormy and eventful week in my part of the world. A storm with almost 75 mile an hour winds went just north of where I live. It was a day filled with storms. Thankfully, there was no damage where I live.
With all that is going on at work now, I have definitely decided that it is time to move on. Please pray that I can find a job that will not make me so nervous. I am trying to spend more time in ministry, and I would like to find a full-time job in that area. Regardless, I do have some ministry ideas that I have started to implement, so please pray for me in these matters.
Today, let us remember in prayer those whose lives were affected by the terrible attack in France last night. Pray for those who are injured that they may recover. Pray for the families who lost someone dear to them that the Lord would comfort them in the midst of their grief. Let us continue to pray for an end to violence and terrorism. Let us pray for peace and justice.
Let us continue to pray for peace in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard on NPR once again this week that the situation in South Sudan is quite bad. Pray for peace there as well.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for Sri Lanka and Chad that the message of the love of Jesus might reach many in these two countries.
For the last few weeks, we have been studying on alternate weeks the Ten Commandments. Today, we turn our attention to the commandment which states, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy." This is an important commandment for out day and age, and it has been the source of much controversy in the history of the church.
The origin of the Sabbath Day principle lies in the creation account found in Genesis. According to Genesis, the Lord created the Earth in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. When the people were given the Law at Mount Sinai, the Lord wanted to make sure that the people honored the Sabbath and the principles behind it. Let us look into this commandment and examine its relevance for us today.
According to the Bible, the Sabbath was to be a holy time. Everyone both slave and free, and the animals, were to take one day each week when no work was done. All creatures were to have a day of rest. The Bible was very clear that no labor was to be performed on the Sabbath day. On the Sabbath, the people engaged in the worship of the Lord. The Old Testament outlined serious penalties if someone violated the Sabbath.
In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was seen as beginning at sundown on Friday and continuing through sundown on Saturday. This was also the practice during the time of Jesus.
Over time, the regulations concerning Sabbath observance became more and more strict. During His earthly ministry, Jesus had some of His most serious disagreements with the religious leaders over the principle of the Sabbath.
Jesus would often heal people on the Sabbath. The religious authorities thought that healing on the Sabbath constituted work, and they accused Jesus of breaking the commandment regarding keeping the Sabbath holy.
One of these encounters was when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. Jesus had the man stand up in the midst of the assembly. Jesus asked the leaders if it was right to do good on the Sabbath day. No one answered, and this upset Jesus greatly. Jesus told the man to stretch out his hand. The man followed Jesus instructions, and the man's withered hand was totally restored. Jesus made it clear that it was always right to do good on the Sabbath.
Jesus would also point out that the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. It was supposed to be a good thing for people's benefit not a burden. In Matthew 12:8, Jesus said that He was Lord of the Sabbath. In essence, Jesus was stating that He was God and He could say what the Sabbath was and was not.
After Jesus rose triumphantly from the grave on Sunday, the vast majority of Christians began to observe Sunday as the Sabbath. There are a few groups of Christians today who still believe that Saturday should be observed as the Sabbath and the proper day of worship.
The New Testament makes it quite clear that it does not matter what day you choose to celebrate the Sabbath as long as you honor the Sabbath principle. Paul states in Romans 14:5-6 that some will honor one day and some will honor another day. Which ever day is honored it should be done as unto the Lord for His honor and for His glory.
In our society, people are not really honoring the Sabbath principle, and that is leading to a whole host of problems. We live in a world that is worn out and stressed out. I heard a report the other day that told about how doctors believe that much of the illness people experience is due in large part to a lack of rest.
Even on days off, many play so hard it seems just like work. This is not what the Lord had in mind with the Sabbath.
Ideally, I think that the Bible is clear that whatever day you worship on, that should be the day in which you put the Sabbath principle in practice. For most Christians, that would be Sunday. Now, I realize that there are a lot of people who have to work on Sunday. I am required to work on Sunday afternoon and evening in my current job. It is one reason I am trying to find another job.
Here is what I try to do to honor the Sabbath principle. I go to church on Sunday morning for a time of worship. Then I try to use one of my days off as the day when I do not do any work. It is my day of rest. I have to say that sometimes I am lax on that, and that is not right. I should do better, so I am preaching to myself in this sermon just as much as to those that will be reading it.
When I don't take one day off to just rest, I find that I am really tired out for the rest of the week. The Lord in His divine wisdom knew that this would be the case for all people. We all need to rest and relax.
I do encourage you to implement the Sabbath principle into your life. One day a week don't do any labors. You will honor God and feel better.
Now, with that said, Jesus made it quite clear that it is always right to do what is good on the Sabbath. If you have a chance to do good, always take that opportunity to help others and do what is right in the name of Jesus.
There is just one other thing that I would like to say on the matter of the Sabbath. In my country, it is getting harder and harder for people to honor the Sabbath on Sunday. So many activities are planned that day, and most businesses are open while that did not use to be the case. In the midst of a changing world, try to honor the Sabbath as much as possible. Let us all pray for each other, that we will be able to honor this important commandment and have one day each week when we rest in honor of the Lord resting from all the work of creation.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I will have a book review on Wednesday. Next week's sermon will be a sermon from our continuing series on lessons from the animals. May God bless you all. Amen.
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