Remember the Sabbath Day, to Keep It Holy (2)
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February 19, 2017 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Exodus 20:8-11).
As God protected the Israelites in Goshen during all plagues that hit all of Egypt, He protects His children from all kinds of disasters and calamities who obey Him.
Continuing from the last edition, the spiritual meaning of 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy' we will look into more deeply. I hope you will understand it and enjoy blessings as God's children.
1. We Should Enjoy Spiritual Rest without Doing Worldly Work
The Sabbath is the day for us to come to the church, worship, have fellowship with other believers, and have spiritual rest. Exodus 20:9-10 reads, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work..."
"You shall not do any work" means "Do not do any secular work that has nothing to do with God." It includes all personal work that you do for fleshly benefit such as working to make money. Of course, we should labor and do all our work for six days. The head of a family is responsible for the other family members' living, a house wife should do her house work, and students should study. However, on the Lord's Day, we have to be set apart from the worldly activities.
2. If We Keep the Sabbath Holy, We Receive God's Blessing
The Passage tells us that not only 'you' but also 'your son or your daughter, your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you' all have to rest. It means that everything under your authority should be put to rest. That is, on the Lord's Day, you should rest from every kind of worldly activity and thereby dwell only in God without being bothered by other things from the world. If we keep the Lord's Day holy in the way, God protects our workplace and blesses us. In this way, though we work for six days we can reap as much as or more than we work for seven days or more.
The Israelites experienced it firsthand (Exodus 16). When they had a hard time finding food in the wilderness, they complained and grumbled. For them, God rained manna for six days and on the sixth day He told them to gather twice as much as they gather daily.
When they left part of what they gathered until morning, it bred worms and became foul. But when they put it aside until morning of the Sabbath, it did not become foul nor were there any worms in it. On the Sabbath some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. God let them realize that God gives people daily bread and also lets them have bread on the seventh day although they do not work on that day.
Even today, if we keep the Sabbath holy, God blesses us with more than enough. On the contrary, if we don't keep the Sabbath but continue to labor, we cannot be under God's protection and blessings. Then, our income might decrease or we may meet with diseases or accidents and have to spend much more than gained.
3. Some Exceptional Cases
We are not living in a Christian country. We live with worldly people who do not believe in God. And, there are so many different kinds of jobs such as service, distribution, and media industries today. Thus, the form of keeping the Sabbath may be different from before. Of course, the Word of God itself which commands us to 'keep the Sabbath holy' does not change at all.
What God considers more important is the innermost heart of men. If we understand the meaning of God's commanding us to keep the Sabbath holy and follow His will, God will accept our heart. Even if we may have to work because of various circumstances, God will not say we have violated the Sabbath if we have the heart to keep it holy.
He also applies different standards for people with different measures of faith. We have to guide newcomers to do their best within the measures of their faith until their faith grows up enough. Also, even for those who have good faith, there are some situations in which they cannot help but work.
1) Those Who Work for the Life and Security of the Public
They are people such as soldiers, police officers, or medical doctors and nurses. Suppose soldiers and police officers did not work but just spent Sunday in the church because they have to 'keep the Sabbath'. National security would be in danger and the social order could be destroyed. Patients wouldn't be treated. But still they must attend Sunday service, whether before work or after the work. And if possible, it's the best to wisely keep the Lord's Day completely.
2) Those Who Work in the Distribution and Restaurant Industries
In our church, some work for department stores and restaurants that open on the Lord's Day. But, they gather after work and attend a worship service. When their faith grows up, some of them voluntarily move to another kind of job where they can keep the Lord's Day completely. Sometimes, even the owners of some shops have to open their shops on Sundays. It's because they have to follow the rules of the department stores in which they are located or the company to which they belong. They can hire unbelievers to open the shop on Sundays.
3) Company Employees Who Sometimes Have to Work on Sunday
They have to go on a business trip having a Sunday in the middle, or they have to go on some training trip. Then, they can come back after their work and attend the service at a later time, or they can attend the service on the Internet or through satellite TV.
4) Those Who Take Important National Exams on Sunday
After the test, you have to do your best to attend worship services. And, if it is not possible, you make Saturday the Sabbath in your heart only during the week and attend the service on the Internet. According to your situation, you may pray or praise. Suppose an athlete has a match on Sunday. He has to prepare his heart beforehand so that God can accept his heart and then do something like praying or offering praise in place of worship services.
What is the reason that God is giving us more room to keep the Lord's Day holy today? It doesn't mean we can just adapt to the situation in which we cannot keep the Lord's Day. It is the love of God who waits for us and endures with us until our faith grows up to be more perfect. I hope you will understand this will of God and keep the Lord's Day holy.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
God commanded us to keep the Sabbath holy in order to give us true rest. If we fill ourselves with the Word of God, offer praises, and pray; and, if we have fellowship with believers and do voluntary works, then our spirits will be filled with the Holy Spirit and our strength will be renewed. We will also be filled with the hope of heaven and enjoy freedom in the truth to the extent that we recover the image of God through keeping the Lord's Day.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will understand the great love of God and remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy and enjoy its true rest.
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