Sabbath Keeping




The author of Hebrews is drawing our attention to sanctification in chapter four. We must labour hard for our sanctification and draw near to God through our Lord Christ Jesus who is our high priest. Sanctification through the word of God is like an x-ray machine it penetrates and brings out what is unseen by naked eyes out into the open for all to see.  (but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:13)
          The indicative of this chapter is creation. When God created the heaven and the earth, (Genesis 1 – 2:2) he rested on the seventh day. This rest is not a stop-word order. God does not rest in his outpouring of His grace to his creation. His ever-watchful eyes on his creation is his glory magnificent. God is constantly participating in his creation until now. It never ends. Therefore, what does the rest on the seventh day mean in Genesis? God sanctified all His creation on the seventh day because it was good. By and through God’s sanctification all things were claimed and sealed with his grace for him and through him and things that were ever made was made. (John 1:3) The underlying truth here is all work that needed to be done by God was finished and sanctified. God does operate on unfinished work. His work is always completed, and his work glorifies him who deserves all our praise and worship. Christ work on the cross in complete obedience to the Father ended with our Lord saying, “It is finished”. The cross work of redemption was sanctified made perfect for our salvation.
          What does it mean when the author says, they did not enter the rest? (Hebrews 4:6) The Israelites were commanded to get rid of all evil, idolatry practises in the promise land. They failed to labour towards what was preached to them or commanded to them. They allowed ungodly people to remain in the promised land to corrupt God’s promise land for His habitation.  In Psalm 95, the psalmist clearly stated where God stands against the Israelites for not completing their work in the promise land. “Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” (Psalm 95:11). The wrath of God stands before us for not labouring towards our sanctification. Because we are commanded to come into His rest on Sabbath. The process of sanctification opens our heart and exposes all our sins to us. We cannot hide from God, who knows all things. We are to hold fast our profession and come boldly to the throne of grace to Christ Jesus for rest unto him. Let us be watchful not to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1) Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left out in our salvation. (Hebrews 4:1)
The three synoptic Gospel records our lord declaring that he is the Lord of Sabbath. (Matthew 12:1-8. Mark 2:23-28 & Luke 6:1-5) Lets conclude with the meditation of the holy scriptures from 1 John 3. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Every Word of God is Pure

Reformation is the action or process of reforming an institution or practice, according to Oxford Dictionary. Oxford’s second definition of reformation states as, a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Church ending in the establishment of the Reformed and Protestant Churches.   What does the word “form” mean? As a noun, it means in a particular way a thing exists. As a verb, it means bring together parts or combine to create something. Therefore, to re-form is to go back to how a particular way a thing exists and not corrupt the manner it was brought to together and combined to create that one thing. Reformation is to go back and take away corruption of the word of God. Martin Luther insisted that “the truth of scriptures comes first. After that is accepted one may determine whether the words of men can be accepted as true.” [1] Martin Luther is not insisting something that is of his own understanding or from his own intellect. His words were b...
Read more

The Time is fulfilled

We have one Glorious Gospel but four accounts. Mattahian, Makan, Lukan and Johannine accounts of the Gospel. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) Matthew proclaimed the birth of the King of Jews in his account. (Matthew 2:2). Luke dedicated an entire chapter on the glorious birth celebrated by the whole creation, the angel proclaimed good tiding to all people. The Shepherds glorified and praised God. Simeon at the temple blessed the couple and the babe. The 84-year-old widow rejoiced at redemption. (Luke 2). John proclaimed the glory of Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man who took on flesh and dwelt with us. Who’s glory John beheld. (John 1-18) Mark on the other hand introduces Christ, the saviour of humanity as the time. If you have a paper bible or a digital bible with words of Jesus in red, you will be in awe that Mark 1:15 are the very first words of Jesus spoken according to the Markan Gospel. Jesus draws to himself as the time. Eternal God who created time refers to himself...
Read more

1 Thessalonians 2

  For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? – 1 Thessalonians 2:19 Paul asked these questions to the Thessalonians in 51AD. The questions remain the same at present. Many bible critiques are quick to disparage the Word of God as mere words of man. Are they right to say that? Yes, they have the right to say that but that does not mean it is the truth. Saying a relatively right thing and speaking the truth are two different things. The answer to the question if the Word of God is the truth from God lies in death. (We shall not discuss Christ Second coming, here.) If you say you are entitled to Heaven as a Christian and yet claim that the Word of God is not entirely the truth then when you face Jesus at the throne of Judgement you will be judged to have committed a Cosmic Treason against God. [1] J C Sproul calls it the “Sinfulness of Sin” in his book, “ The Truth of the Cross .” Any sin committed ag...
Read more