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 Sermon > Cell Bible Study |
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Title |
Chapter 20-The Sabbath |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
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1. Sabbath and Tithe - The Most Basic of Christian Life
It is a matter of course for Christians to keep the Sabbath holy and to give proper tithes. It is also a very important condition to receive blessings, because it is to show our faith that we believe all spiritual and material things belong to God.
To remember and keep the Sabbath holy is an act of faith to acknowledge God's spiritual authority. To give proper tithes and offerings is another act of faith to acknowledge God's material authority. It is also same as confessing that God is our Father and the Creator, and Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Therefore, it is a proof that we are God's children when we keep the Sabbath and give proper tithes. In this way, we can live within God's protection and blessings.
2. Origin of Sabbath
The Sabbath is a day to rest in the Lord. In New Testament days, we call it the Lord's day. Sabbath was made since God's creation of this world.
Genesis 2:1-3 says, "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. [2] And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. [3] Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."
Because God created heavens and the earth and all things in them for six days and rested on the seventh day, He commanded His people to keep the seventh day as the holy Sabbath. The first day is Sunday, and the seventh day is Saturday, so during the Old Testament days, Saturday was kept as the Sabbath.
God commanded us to keep the Sabbath because it is an act of faith to acknowledge that God created heavens and the earth and is the master of spiritual realm. When the people of Israel kept the Sabbath and acknowledged God's spiritual authority, God protected them from all kinds of hardships and disasters.
3. Reason Why Sabbath Became Sunday in New Testament
/ True Meaning of Sabbath
Why, then, did Sabbath change from Saturday to Sunday in the New Testament, and why do we call it Lord's day?
Genesis 1:3 says, "Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light." Here, 'light' refers to spiritual light which stands for God's power and authority. At the same time, God proclaimed the authority of Jesus Christ, who is God Himself. That is why John 1:9 onward says, "That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world? and testifies to Jesus Christ who came to earth in flesh.
And Matthew 12:8 says, "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." This means the Lord who is the light is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Jesus, who came to redeem all mankind from their sins, was crucified on Friday. And on the third day since His burial, in the early morning of Sunday, He demolished the authority of death and resurrected. By this, the work was completed to forgive our sins so that we could receive salvation through faith.
Likewise, it is Sunday when Jesus resurrected to become the Christ, opened the way of salvation to all mankind, and became our true life and light in darkness of death and pain. By the resurrection of Jesus Christ the light, we also gained the hope of resurrection, and our soul came to enjoy true rest. Therefore, since this time, the day of resting became Sunday, on which the Lord, who is the Lord of the Sabbath and true light, resurrected.
It was also prophesied in the Old Testament that the Sabbath would change to Sunday. Leviticus 23:10-12 says, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. [11] 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath (namely Sunday) the priest shall wave it. [12] And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD."
The male goat that would be offered on Sunday symbolizes Lamb of God, namely our Lord Jesus Christ. A burnt offering is today's worship service. Also, the 'firstfruits' refers to Jesus, who is the firstfruits of resurrection, as said in 1 Corinthians 15:20, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
Likewise, our Lord, the Lamb of God, resurrected in the early morning of Sunday to become the firstfruits of resurrection, and that is why the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, which is the day of the Lord's resurrection.
All mankind had to go to the way of death due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve. But because the Lord destroyed the authority of death and resurrected, our dead spirit can revive if we accept Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. This is spiritual resurrection. When the Lord comes back again, those who are in graves will resurrect first. Then, we who are still alive will have the spiritual body that will not perish forever and meet the Lord in the air. This is physical resurrection. The perfect resurrection will be completed with both spiritual and physical resurrection.
As the wages of sin is death, all mankind was destined to fall into eternal death due to sin, but we gained life through the resurrection of the Lord. We also gained hope of resurrection in spirit and in body, and by this, we gained true peace of our spirit.
4. Spiritual Rest in the Lord
We rest on the Sabbath. But resting in God's viewpoint is not to physically sleep, eat, and enjoy entertainment without working hard. Physical rest can never give us true life no matter how much we take it. It will only lead us to death, and it has got nothing to do with God. The rest that gives us true life and lets us dwell in God is spiritual rest in the Lord. When we take a spiritual rest in the Lord, it is to keep the Sabbath holy.
What, then, is spiritual rest? It is to seek spiritual growth on Sunday. To do this, we should not be involved in worldly works but come to the church, the body of the Lord, and worship God. We should listen to His Word, have fellowship with the believers, and enjoy true gladness and peace in heart. We can understand God's will by listening to the Word, and we can be full of the Holy Spirit by praying. By praising God, we can have communication with God. in this way, our faith will grow, and we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and have true rest and peace of our soul. This is to enjoy spiritual rest in the Lord.
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