The True Value of Sabbath

Last week sermon was so powerful. It's about the true value of Sabbath. Well, if you are Christian and you've been asked what is the meaning of Sabbath day, you must be thinking, well, Sabbath day is a rest day, it's a day for Christian to set aside time for God, to go to the church, and then having lunch together after that, then continue to go shopping or rest at home for the rest of the day. *monotone life*. Which is true but interestingly, there is more than that. Sabbath day is way more interesting than a rest day, than a church day, or praise and worship day....so let's get a little deeper, shall we?

Let's open our (online) bible and go to Exodus 20: 8-11. I'd give 5 mins to read the passage first.

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The reality here is that, we are all working adult, often swept away by work or by school or by social community or by daily activities which is not totally wrong to have all that, it's normal, since we are social-creatures....In the bible said, work hard, labor hard, as God gives us two hands, two legs, empower us to work, to earn a living, and to live our life to the fullest. Look at verse 9, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work." Meaning having work is also God's command!

But look at verse 10-11, here are the reasons why despite all of our busy schedules, we need a day, just one day to rest. To have an ultimate Sabbath day. " But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Everyone deserves a break, don't relate break as laziness yo. Again, you need a break! 

In fact, rest day or Sabbath day is a day where you can do your own thing, being rejuvenated, re-look at your daily lifes for the past weeks, and the best, it's the time to honour God. :-)

Okay, history a bit, going to old testament, where God's people still under slavery by Egyptian. There was no such thing as Sabbath or rest day in their vocabulary, They didn't have rights to rest, to stand up on their feet, or even the rights to live or eat! Then God sent Moses to broke the slavery chain and brought them to a new promises land. Therefore, God made rules which one of them was a sabbath day. a.k.a rest day. As God's people, they all had to adapt from culture with no-rest day, to a yes-rest day. And then fast forward, in Jesus's time, Sabbath day was already a culture whereby everyone in that era, was allowed to rest, and do nothing...just rest.

Flip our (online) bible to Luke chapter 6.

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Here is the story about Jesus and Sabbath day. 

Very interesting because what Jesus's teaching is different with what the Pharisee's teaching in regards to Sabbath day. 

Let's find out more, how Jesus interpret Sabbath?

- Sabbath day not only for the benefit for us, but also meant for other people, too.

In Jesus's context, isn't it beautiful if He used Sabbath day to heal people? to heal people whose right hand was shrivelled? (verse 8) 

In today's context, isn't it beautiful, if we can use our Sabbath day to outreach people? together to go to place's that we never been before, to village or suburb area, and bless them with our givings, be it a donation in the form of money or groceries or even our presence? 

- Restoring and renewing people, not religious observance.

God is a God who knows everything, even what's engrave in our hearts, what's in our mind, or our future actions, so you can't deny or runaway one. hehe.

In Romans 14: 5-6, God gives us freedom to choose our Sabbath day. Some of us are working so we can choose our Sabbath day on Saturday or Sunday. Some of the part of the world, choose Sabbath day on Friday. Which is TOTALLY FINE. There is no restriction. As long as our heart is pure to honour God and really long to be in God's presence. God sees our hearts not our outer appearance. :-)

- Doing good and saving lives.

Jesus was clearly know that all the Pharisees and law of teacher were watching closely to him, looking a reason to accuse him. On another Sabbath, Jesus went to synagogue and was teaching, there was a man whose hand right shrivelled. And Jesus healed him in front of the people. After that, in verse 9, Jesus asked them, which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it. 

Being a Pharisee, they knew deep inside their hearts, what is the correct answer, but because of pride, they kept silence and furious and begin to discuss with one another what they might to do to Jesus...see....they even did an evil thing, to plot against Jesus during Sabbath day! isn't it pity? 

In conclusion, Jesus is our Lord of true Sabbath. When we use our Sabbath to bless other people, to gather together and praise and worship Jesus, to listen to sermon and ponder it, to minister to one another, to be able to grow together spiritually in our church community. Isn't it the real true Sabbath? 

Well, not being hypocrite, have you lived your Sabbath to the fullest? mine, no...not yet... :-)

God, give us mercy. :-)

-Deb-