Importance of Keeping the Sabbath 2

Why is failing to observe Sabbath a sin that leads people to hell? Why does it grieve the Holy Spirit?

1. You choose not to identify with God.

If God does not own you, He will not get you when you die.

Have you ever observed a father and a son? Especially when we know the father very well, when the son does a gesture that his dad is known for doing, we say to the child “you’re truly your father’s son.” Or we say to the dad “that really is your son.” Or the father will say to the child “that’s my boy!”

The son identifies with his dad because of a similarity found between them. Same with us. If we rest on the seventh day, or Sunday (depends on when our leaders choose to worship God), we are being identified as God’s children, as Christians.

“You don’t work on Sundays? You must be one of those crazy Christians! You must be one of those Jesus freaks.”

You bet I am! Loud and proud. I am one of God’s children because like Abba who rested on the seventh day, so do I.

2. It is a hard slap on Jesus’ face saying ‘we enjoy being slaves.’

Have you ever wondered why is Sabbath a crime punishable to death during Moses’ time?

It is as if saying to God that the Israelites liked being a slave and prefers to be a slave by continuously working throughout the week.

Slavery means being forced to work with minimum to no rest. For 400 years, we know that the Israelites were forced to do unpaid labor in Egypt. It is for that reason that God freed them from their bondage so that in God they may enjoy their Sabbath or rest.

God wants them to rest. That’s why if anyone was caught doing something on a Sabbath, he/she is stoned to death because it is a sin against God. It is a form of high disregard to the saving act of God.

We also know that what happened to the Israelites is a foreshadowing of what Jesus did for the entire human race. We have been slaves of sin and death. We have been pursuing our needs all on our own. We have been independent from God. We have been tired, stressed out, afflicted, and oppressed. We were orphans.

Because of what Jesus did, we were reconnected to our Father in heaven. And with a Father who provides for everything we need, we find rest in spirit, soul and body.

Jesus is our Sabbath. In Him, we find rest. In Him, we can spend our Saturdays or Sundays just surrendering every cares, worries, and hurries. In Him we can just be ourselves and worship Him in our own special ways.

And not just on Sunday or Saturday but every day. Jesus is our Sabbath every day.

And when we choose to continue our work, do what we like to do, say needless words, worry about so many things on a Sabbath, we highly disregard what Jesus did for us. It is as if we say to Him, I am okay doing what I use to do when I was not yet saved.

The Lord Jesus wants us to increase through Him increasing in our lives. Yet if we choose to lose and lose through sin, worldly pursuits and riches, especially on a Sabbath, we are dishonoring our God in a major way.

Is Sabbath a Sunday or a Saturday?

This is a question that until now is not settled. However, if we will follow the Jewish Calendar, we will see that Saturday is the proper Sabbath. That’s why in Filipino, Saturday is Sabado. But the Catholic Church officially declared it as Sunday basing from the scripture in Acts.

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. Acts 20:7

There are still other scripture saying that they gathered on the first day of the week. But I believe that Saturday is the right Sabbath.

However, there was a prophet who stated that whatever day, Saturday or Sunday, your leaders choose as worship day will be the day we celebrate our Sabbath. (There will be more articles about the Sabbath which I will post.)

All God is asking is one day of total rest and total dedication to Him.

Things to refrain during Sabbath

1. Selling. What do we lose in selling? Time. Resources. Calmness of mind. Focus. What do we gain exchange? Money. It is a clear example of work. And yes, God detests selling lunch inside the church after church service.

2. Buying. Is this work? Yeah. Spending time, resources, effort to gain something. And even if you do not consider it as work, you still gave a reason for the seller not to keep his Sabbath. This would mean no buying in groceries, palengke, no eating outside after church service.

3. Doing anything that will deviate our focus from God. Things like watching secular shows, party, going out with friends, doing school or office work, etc.

4. Idle talk. Irrelevant talks. Gossips. Spreading rumors.

Things you can choose to do on a Sabbath

1. Rest. Sleep. Relax.

2. Pray

3. Worship.

4. Read the bible.

5. Go to church. Bring your tithes and offerings.

6. Have an expense-less family time

7. Also depends on what God wants you to do on a Sabbath. He can tell you to work for Him on a Sabbath since He is Lord over it (just like ministers). He can tell you to visit so and so. It still depends on Him.

Love conquers traditions

This post was supposed to be posted earlier. However I felt unworthy for I, too, has not yet observed Sabbath properly. But, I have a desire to change my ways and through this post, I am hoping that a desire might start from the readers.

Honestly, it is hard to refrain from something that we get used doing. But for us who love the Lord, we will do our best to change our practices. We will do our best to control ourselves from spending money, from watching tv, spending leisure times, and talking non-sense. As lovers of Jesus, we seek for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit for us to be able to observe Sabbath the way God wants us to.

It may not be an instant change for the change is going to be hard. But a determination to honor God by honoring the Sabbath is what God is looking for. Even I find it hard not to spend on a Sunday. But, there will come a time when I, we will be able to make Jesus happy because we completely observe the Sabbath the way He wants us to.

Let us not look at the Sabbath as a law or a practice but a lifestyle. If you want to look young and feel young for the rest of your lives, don’t use anti-aging creams. Utilize your Sabbath. Honor the Lord of the Sabbath. Cast all your cares to Him. He will surely keep us healthy and young at heart!

Before, I thought that God was just being selfish. He just wants a day when all His people will worship Him. But now, I realize how much He loves me and how much He truly cares. That Sabbath is not just for Him but for me, for us.

I understand if you won’t believe this at first. Even I did not. But love conquered unbelief. Why is Sabbath a big deal? It won’t be part of the Ten Commandments if God does not want us to pay special attention to it. Why do most pastors don’t preach this? Because they are afraid that people might dislike them if they do.