Remember the Sabbath Day, to Keep It Holy (4)
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March 05, 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).
On Sunday, Christians worship, praise, pray, and have fellowship in love in the church. They have true rest and renew their minds and bodies which makes their new week victorious. Now let's see how we can enjoy true rest in the Lord by remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy.
1. We Should Not Buy or Sell Anything
The Bible indicates that we must not conduct business buying or selling on Sunday with greed for money, nor should we buy food and drinks for our convenience on the Sabbath.
In Nehemiah chapter 13, we can see Nehemiah, the governor of Judah prohibited business transactions on the Sabbath. When he saw Jews working and Gentiles selling things in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, he reprimanded the Jews, saying, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?"
Nehemiah closed the city gate before the Sabbath, so that those who wanted to sell things couldn't come and go. The Levites sanctified their bodies and stood guard at the gates. They even drove away the merchants who were sleeping outside the city wall who wanted to sell their things right after the Sabbath. They stayed away from things that could cause them to violate the Sabbath.
After making people keep the Sabbath holy, Nehemiah boldly asked for God's blessing. When you counsel or visit a new believer, you should be prudent. If you say to a new believer who has little knowledge of the Word that they will face disastrous consequences if they open their shop or buy or sell things on the Lord's Day, they will stumble. It would be a pity if they leave the church even before they meet God because the word has become a burden to them. This is like feeding a new born baby with solid food that causes problems.
A new believer is like a baby in a spiritual sense. God shows concern in guiding each one according to their faith. God lets them gain experience and understanding so they can keep the Sabbath joyfully. You should let them know the meaning of the Sabbath and the blessings that will come when they keep it. If you give testimonies to plant faith in them and pray for them, eventually they will be able to keep it by their will.
But if somebody who knows the will of God and who has faith still buys and sells things on the Sabbath following his desires, then trials may come upon him. If he loves God he has to keep the Ten Commandments. But if he doesn't keep the Sabbath holy, God cannot protect him even if God wants to because it's not right according to God's justice.
2. Special Exceptional Cases
In Luke chapter 6, Jesus teaches about the Sabbath. He was passing through some grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. Then some of the Pharisees criticized it. According to the rules of that time, both picking the heads of grain and rubbing them in their hands were considered the violation of the Sabbath.
And Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." This way, it is to keep the Sabbath holy with a true heart, to understand the will of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath and to follow it.
For example, the church may do something for the convenience of the members. Such things are the bookstore, the church store, and vending machines. What is the reason we have these exceptions? We have them with a good purpose, to help the members keep the Sabbath holy. In the bookstore, we sell Bibles, praise songs, and sermons tapes, which are necessary for Christian life and which give spiritual life. The church store or the vending machines are there so children or new believers won't have to go outside to buy something.
It is best to prepare snacks beforehand but sometimes some parents do not prepare snacks for their kids in advance. Also, when some newcomers come to church, they may feel it is very hard to attend church if they cannot even drink a cup of coffee after lunch. We have such facilities in the church to prevent these problems. The profit from these facilities is also spent for charitable and missionary works, all for the salvation of souls.
3. In the Case of Weddings or a Birthday Party
What if your family members, relatives, or colleagues are getting married or having a birthday party on Sunday? What do you have to do in this case?
Those who are partying on Sunday are probably unbelievers. Also, most worldly parties involve drinking alcohol and enjoying themselves. So, you who have faith wouldn't really want to join such a gathering on Sunday. You wouldn't want to go to any worldly party on Sunday, under any circumstances. There won't be misunderstandings if you explain the reason, congratulate them and show your heart in advance. If you are well-recognized as a faithful Christian you will pass such a situation easily.
New believers may feel this is something difficult to do. For example, when an unbelieving close relative is getting married on a Sunday, they are worried about having to face negative reactions. In this case, it is not a sin within their measure of faith to attend the wedding itself. But they should not miss the worship service. They have to attend the service before they go. Also, they should not go to the reception party after the ceremony. It is not right to join the worldly party and participate in it after the wedding.
Of course, new believers still have weak faith, and God will not condemn them even if they go to a wedding ceremony, but I urge you to try not to join such an occasion. Even if you just attend the wedding itself, if you keep on going to such places again and again, your mind may become accustomed to violating the Sabbath. I urge even the new believers to rely on God whenever they face such a situation. But even those who have faith may have to attend some worldly parties for the sake of other souls.
For example, a new believer is getting married on Sunday, and he has invited the pastor and leaders. If they don't go, this soul may stumble, too. In this case, if they go there for the soul, it is not in violation of the Sabbath. Of course, it is better to leave that soul to God through prayer and keep the Lord's Day holy more completely. But if you have to go for that particular soul, and if you can lead him to God by doing that, it is OK to go.
In Matthew 12:12 Jesus said, "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." The will of the Lord, who is the Lord of the Sabbath, is to save life. Therefore, I hope you will choose the way to gain life in any kind of situation. Furthermore, I urge you in the name of the Lord to walk the way to save many other souls.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
By keeping the Sabbath holy, I hope you will enjoy true rest on earth and also go into the kingdom of heaven to enjoy eternal rest. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will go into New Jerusalem, the most comfortable and happiest place in Heaven.
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