“With or without religion,” someone said, “you would have good people doing good things, and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” In the 1600s, French mystic Blaise Pascal famously warned “men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious … Continue reading –>
I wish I had understood the Sabbath much earlier in my Christian walk. I’ve been a Sabbath keeper for decades. I was born into a Sabbath-keeping family with many Sabbath-keeping relatives. I’ve calculated that I’ve willingly “kept” the Sabbath over two thousand times. Yet, for most of those past years I can honestly say that … Continue reading –>
I was listening to a preacher on the radio talking about the Sabbath. He explained that the weekly Sabbath pointed us to the rest we have in Christ, so we no longer need the weekly Sabbath because we now have Jesus. He sounded sincere, and I really appreciated Him pointing people to Jesus and resting their … Continue reading –>
Resting or Resisting. Jesus during His life on earth kept the commandments of God, including the Sabbath commandment. Does this mean that the Sabbath has remained unchanged?What is the root meaning of the Sabbath as presented by God in Scripture? Do you believe the seventh day is the Sabbath, created by God for eternity? If … Continue reading –>
As should be clear from the Gospel records, Jesus didn’t abolish the Sabbath. If anything, He restored the Sabbath, freeing it from the cumbersome burdens people had placed on it. Hundreds of years later Christians were still resting and worshiping on Sabbath. The fifth-century historian Socrates Scholasticus wrote: “Almost all churches throughout The World celebrated … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Resting in Christ” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath School … Continue reading –>
It is very interesting to read through the Gospels and to see all the times that the writers recorded the Sabbath incidents between Jesus and the religious leaders. Why would all four Gospel writers include, in some cases numerous accounts, of the struggle that Jesus had with the leaders over Sabbath keeping if the Sabbath … Continue reading –>
This was the climate that Jesus was ministering in: rigid impossibilities required for Sabbath keeping that ruined the original purpose of the Sabbath. It was to be a day to rest from our work; a day to worship God and fellowship with other believers in ways that we cannot do during the work week; a … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Sabbath, observed in its true spirit, is a powerful experience that celebrates our creation, redemption, and eternal rest and relationship in Jesus. Resting in Christ – April 30 – May 6, 2016 1. Have a volunteer read Matthew 12:3-8. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in … Continue reading –>
If, as so much of the Christian world argues, the seventh-day Sabbath was abolished, replaced, superseded, fulfilled (whatever), then why did Jesus spend so much time dealing with how to keep the Sabbath? Read the following verses. What are the issues under contention in these scenes, and what are not the issues? Matt. 12:1-2; Luke 14:1-6; … Continue reading –>
In Matthew 11:20-27, Jesus begins with a powerful rebuke to some of the cities in Galilee who rejected His ministry. What makes the rebuke, and His warning of condemnation, so frightening is that these cities had been given great opportunities to know the truth. He, the Truth (John 14:6), had walked in the flesh among … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 11:28-30; Matt. 12:1-2; Luke 14:1-6; John 5:9-16; Matt. 12:9-14; Isa. 58:7-13. Memory Text:“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’” (Matthew 11:28, NIV). Christ was a living representative of the law. No violation of its holy precepts was found in His … Continue reading –>
