Christ Our Sabbath
Being under Grace rather than the Law does not excuse us from keeping the Law, but rather enables us to interpret the Law in the light of a person – Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “I did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill (or embody) it.” When Moses brought the Law to Israel, he was describing in words the reality that he had witnessed in the Lord’s presence. Enabled and inspired by the Holy Spirit, Moses was perfectly and accurately describing God and His Kingdom. However, without the same illumination of the Spirit of God, that Law is interpreted inaccurately and “kept” in the wrong spirit, which actually breaks the true Law in a hundred other ways.
In 1st Corinthians 5, Paul comments: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
When he says let us “keep” the feast, it is clear that Paul was not talking about eating unleavened bread made with flour. In the context he was speaking about confronting a brother about his sexual immorality with all sincerity, humility and truth. To “keep” the feast, those who received Paul’s letter had to have a genuine transaction with the living God; they had to “eat” His flesh and “drink” His blood (and I’m not talking about the sacrament of communion here).
In the same way, no other Law of God can be kept by the carnal or natural mind. You may try, and perhaps you should try – until all your natural strength is exhausted. “You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your ...strength...” When YOUR strength is broken, and your weakness is exposed, THEN God can come in and bring His Sabbath, which is priestly, without sweat or anxiety.
“For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest” Hebrews 4:10-11
There is frequently an unsightly and dangerous “labor” that precedes entering into the rest of God. The penalty of that labor is death – death to the natural man. The GIFT of God is eternal life. Once the letter has killed, the Spirit can come in and GIVE life – resurrection life.
The presence of Resurrection Life IS the rest – or Sabbath – of God. It is the ceasing of my labors and the entering into the “It is finished!” rest of the Lord Jesus.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
In conclusion, let us “keep” the Sabbath, not with endless disputes over when it begins and ends, or with debates of what exactly constitutes work. Rather, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.... The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7
“Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.” Romans 14:4-6
Thursday, February 15, 2007
