Sabbath "Remains" for the People of God Heb 4

1) While the principle of a "positive example of rest" applies both to us, as to David; still, this "rest" was not physical rest on a day. In the OT, the weekly sabbath was not called this type of "rest". But here in Hebrews, it is reveled as such. That is the difference between us and David. David may have striven for that rest while keeping the literal sabbath at the same time, but now in the NT it is revealed that the literal sabbath was in fact pointing to the true spiritual rest. Just like the sacrifices were pointing to repentance and remission of sins, even though a person could truly repent and be forgiven then. A person could be both circumcized physically, and "circumcized in the heart" back then. That doesn't mean both continue for us today. They could have both in the OT, but the spiritual side of it was not as clearly revealed, because the focus in the OT was the letter of the Law.

2) OK, so a person comitting other sins and resting on the sabbath is not keeping it holy. They are "denied" access to this "rest", even though they physically "rest"! (First of all, how many of us are sinless, to begin with?). But then this proves that both "rest" and "keep holy" is not about physically resting on a day! And then; shouldn't we be holy every day? This is what we mean, by how the commandment is "magnified" in the NT.

 

David's generation was before Christ. Yes, they "looked forward" to Him, but it was not until His sacrifice that the covenants changed and the spirit of the Law emphasized to those "sanctified" in Him.

 

The principle of "unbelief keeps one from entering His rest" doesn't change, so of course, Hebrews is not going to speak of any "change". That doesn't mean that all the details of worship and literal vs. spiritual applications of some things are the same for us as for them. They were still under the Old Covenant system.

 

In Dt. 5:15, the reason for observing the weekly Sabbath is to affirm what was absolutely fundamental for God's people, namely, that Yahweh had liberated them from Pharoah (satan) and Egypt (sin). On every Sabbath, the Lord's people are to remember that their God is a liberator:

"Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day" - (Holman Christian Standard Bible).


That is one reason there is still "a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God" (Heb. 4:9) ----- Jesus saved His people out of the land of Egypt (sin) (Jude 5).

 

doesn't the weekly Sabbath foreshadow the FUTURE millennial Sabbath Age --- the future Messianic redemption and rest --- at Christ's return, and therefore, the weekly Sabbath is STILL the Christians' reminder of this future 1000 year rest.


The delight and joy that will mark the end of days is made available here and now by the Sabbath.

 

Hebrews IS making that argument, showing us that THAT is the true "rest" we are looking forward to.
In the OT, the Israalites were given both weekly and annual sabbaths that both commemorated past acts of God, and pointed forward to the whole plan of redemption (which are the antitypical counterparts to the past works of God, such as Creation, leading them out of bondage from Egypt, etc). However, the future plan of redemption (from basic salvation inMessiah, to the eternal kingdom) still remained somewhat cloudy and not completely revealed to them. That period of the letter of the Law was more focused on physical deeds.
Now, we are clearly revealed the plan of redemption, and as we trust (rest) in Christ for salvation (freedom from sin) now and look forward to the kingdom directly, this becomes the focus rather than ceasing from work on days to "remind" us. Rather than living by simple physical "remembering" or "reminders"; we now begin to experience the true "rest" now, until eternity!

 

It's a "rest" that must be ENTERED, snd can be DENIED. It's not something we DO, it's something we GET (and on one sense, in in the future, in full) if we persevere in faith.

 

This should help.........


THE REST THAT REMAINS: "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them [the Jews]: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter [they shall not enter] into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works. . . . There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His" (Hebrews 4:1-10).

The rest that is here spoken of is evidently the rest that remains for the people of God in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is rest in the earth made new, which the ancient Jews did not obtain because of unbelief. That which they received in the land of Canaan was only a shadow of the real rest which God had promised them. The same gospel of the kingdom, which is preached to us, was first preached to them. But what has the seventh day to do with that eternal rest in the kingdom of God? We shall see.

The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, as we have seen. But let it not be forgotten that the Sabbath was given at the time when "God saw all that He had made; and, behold, it was very good." So the Sabbath commemorates a perfect creation. It reminds us that the earth was not always in the condition in which we now see it. Then, since no word of God can fail, and every purpose will be carried out, just as surely as the Sabbath reminds us of a perfect creation completed for the dwelling-place of man, it assures us that the earth will be renewed and made fit for the dwelling-place of those who shall be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.

"They shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens: God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:16-18).

God made the earth and placed man upon it. When man was created, he was upright; therefore, God intended the earth to be inhabited by a race of perfect beings. To these beings He gave the Sabbath, that they might keep in mind their Creator and thus retain their perfection. That perfection was not merely physical perfection, but it was spiritual as well. Man, in perfection of character, was made in the image of God. So he was to observe the Sabbath as a reminder of the spiritual perfection that he had received from God and that could be preserved by Him alone. Now it is to that perfect condition that the Lord is going to restore the earth, and through the gospel He is preparing a perfect people to inhabit the restored earth. Although man has fallen and the earth has been defiled, the Sabbath still remains, a fragment of Eden, both as a reminder to man of what God prepared in the beginning and as a means of lifting him up to that high position, so that he may enjoy it when it is restored.

The rest that remains, therefore, is the earth renewed and Eden restored. The works were finished from the foundation of the world. That is, as soon as the earth was created, it was man's rest. Man was given work to do, but it was not wearisome work. A strictly literal rendering of Genesis 2:15 would be, that God caused man to rest in the garden which He had planted. He gave man rest in the earth that was ready for his enjoyment. The proof of this is found in the words, "And God did rest the seventh day from all His works."

Then the Sabbath was given to man as a sign that he was to rest to all eternity with the Lord. That is, he was to enjoy spiritual rest--perfect freedom from all sin.

During the six days God has been speaking the words that brought the earth to its perfect condition. Then He rested. He ceased speaking, and His word, which liveth and abideth forever, continued to uphold that which was created. So God rested upon His word. He could rest from the work of creation in perfect confidence that His word would uphold the universe. So when we keep the Sabbath of the Lord, we simply take the rest that comes from settling down upon the promises of God.

Thus it is that "we which have believed do enter into rest." And he that hath entered into rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Before men fully accept the simple word of the Lord, everything is from self. The works of the flesh are only sin; and even though men profess to serve God and have earnest desires to do right, their own works to that end are failures. "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" Isaiah 64:6. But when we realize the power of the word of God and know that it is able to build up those who trust it, then we cease our own works and allow God to work in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Then all our works are wrought in Him, and they are right. This is indeed rest. The rest that comes when we realize that salvation does not come from ourselves but from the word which made the heavens and the earth and which upholds them, is the rest which the Sabbath brings to us when it is kept as the Lord designs.

Notice that we are to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. It is holy, and so we are to keep it. We are not to make it holy, for that would be impossible; only God could do that. No act of ours can add to, or detract from, its holiness. Neither are we to make ourselves holy, so that we may keep it properly. That we could not do. But the same power that sanctified the Sabbath day will sanctify us. That power is the power that made the universe. It is creative power by which we are to be sanctified, for Christ is the Creator, and He is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. God has given us the Sabbath--the memorial of His creative power--that we may know that He is the God that sanctifies us.

This is the rest that Christ gives to all that come to Him. He says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28, 29). We are to come and rest upon the word that upholds the universe. This is what the Sabbath means. It commemorates creation; but redemption is simply the power that created all things, working to restore them. So the Sabbath marks the highest gospel attainments.

We have seen that the Sabbath was given in Eden, and that it is a part of that rest upon which God entered. When kept in spirit and in truth, it is a bit of Eden preserved for us through all the changes wrought by the curse. And as God made not the earth in vain, but formed it to be inhabited by the same class of people whom He first placed upon it, so it will yet be. Therefore, the Sabbath is not only a portion of the original Eden preserved for us, but it is also identical with that rest that will be enjoyed by the saints of God throughout eternity. Heaven does indeed begin upon earth for those who fully accept the Saviour, and who give themselves to Him without reserve. The Sabbath--a fragment of paradise--spans the chasm from Eden lost till Eden restored, and as it is the memorial of the first, it is the pledge of the second.

Is not the Sabbath, then, indeed a delight? Can anyone who understands what it means regard it in any other light than a blessing? The man of God has given us a song for the Sabbath day, in which he shows how it is to be regarded, and what it is to do for us. "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands" (Psalm 92:1-4). We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We are to be overcomers "through Him that loved us." So when we are beset with temptation we have only to think of the power of God--the power that made the worlds from nothing--and know that it will be put forth for our deliverance if we will but accept it. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, and there is nothing able to withstand Him. All the hosts of Satan have no power when engaged in a contest with the Lord. Christ has "spoiled principalities and powers" (Colossians 2:15). So when we rest ourselves on that power, the victory is already won. The things that God has made remind us of His power, and so we triumph in the works of His hands. This glorious victory is what the Sabbath is intended to bring to us.

So as the Sabbath is the sign of a perfect creation, it is the seal of a new creature in Christ. It is therefore the seal of God, ministered by the Spirit of God. As it came from paradise and is a part of the rest of paradise, so it shows that those who keep it in spirit (not in form merely) are, through the mighty power of God, destined for a place in paradise. And thus it will come to pass that, in the ages to come, when Eden is restored, all flesh shall come together from Sabbath to Sabbath to worship God, whose love and power and kindness in Christ have brought them to share the glories of His presence. And as they assemble on those thrice-blessed Sabbath days, they will sing, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." But the redeemed host will not be alone in their praises. All the works of God praise Him even now, while groaning and waiting for the redemption; but then, when every trace of the curse will have been removed and the gospel has brought back the original creation, "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them," will in perfection unite as with one voice in saying, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever" Revelation 5:12, 13.

-E.J. Waggoner

 

Still; even though this creation was originally perfect, but it was spoiled by sin. So it's not just the patching up of this old creation, but an all NEW creation promised.

 

So as the Sabbath is the sign of a perfect creation, it is the seal of a new creature in Christ. It is therefore the seal of God, ministered by the Spirit of God. As it came from paradise and is a part of the rest of paradise, so it shows that those who keep it in spirit (not in form merely) are, through the mighty power of God, destined for a place in paradise.
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O foolish Galatians. Sabbatarianism is Judaism in gentile clothing.

In HIS service;
Jim

 

Okey dokey. Here ya go. Take it up with Paul.

Ga 3:1
¶ O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Ga 3:2
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Ga 3:3
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Ga 3:4
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
Ga 3:5
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Ga 3:6
¶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Ga 3:7
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Ga 3:8
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Ga 3:9
So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Ga 3:10
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Ga 3:11
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Ga 3:12
And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Ga 3:13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Ga 3:14
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Tell me Bob. Do you do ALL the Law or just the PARTS you like?

Hmph. I thought so.

In HIS service;
Jim