A few years ago my wife and I hiked a rugged trail that was longer than we could handle. Near the end of the hot summer day she sat down at a resting place where the trail crossed a country road, while I trudged the last mile of the loop to our truck and then … Continue reading –>
One of the most well-known acts of Jesus is the feeding of the five thousand, “besides women and children” (Matt. 14:21). Yet, as with everything else in the New Testament, this story doesn’t occur without a context that helps us understand even more deeply the meaning of what Jesus had done. Read Matthew 14:1-21. What … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 14:1-21, Exod. 3:14, Matt. 14:22-33, Isa. 29:13, Matt. 15:1-20, Matt. 15:21-28. Memory Text:“‘I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles’” (Isaiah … Continue reading –>
“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 –>
