But I don't have time...

Turn to Jeremiah 17. Right click here and open it in a new tab if necessary.

Two things are contrasted in the beginning - trusting in human strength for ultimate salvation and satisfaction vs. trusting in the LORD God for salvation and satisfaction in him.

Okay, we know that.

Now, satisfaction in the LORD God is found in a life of faith - but particularly in hearing the word of the LORD preached and responding in worship.

Jeremiah responds in a prayer for salvation to the LORD, honoring him.

He is immediately told to go rebuke Israel, by the words of the LORD, about their working on the Sabbath.

Think about that.  They were doing things they needed to do to get by on the day God had appointed to rest in him - to worship, hear the word, and to fellowship - without working for their livelihood.  The mark of faith in God was a day spent trusting that worship, prayer, the word, and fellowship were more important to life than 'all the stuff I have to get done.'

They lived in an agrarian society without modern conveniences.

And yet - how much do we give up time for God because 'we have too much to do'?

What to do on the Sabbath....

One of the Pharisees' biggest problems with Jesus was that they thought he was always breaking the Sabbath.

But their big theological problem was that they were always asking the question, 'What should we prevent people from doing on the Sabbath?'

They should've been asking, 'What should we DO on the Sabbath?' But... they didn't. We should.

I love the Lord's Day

I really love - and am thankful - that God set aside an entire day for us to enjoy him through the word, worship, the sacraments, prayer, and the community of saints.

Really - how joyous an occasion is the Lord's Day - Sunday - the Christian Sabbath.

Here's a repost.

The Sabbath's for YOU, Christian!

Here are some observations about what the Scripture says about the Sabbath – the holy day of rest during the week. This isn’t a full out proof, per se, but is meant for a starting place for us to look at the Scriptures. I think the combined force of what follows shows us that the Sabbath is indeed for Christians. That said, some observations:

1) Jesus in talking about the Sabbath never canceled it.

2) The 10 commandments are viewed as a distinct unit and the unit that governs the rest of the Laws in the OT.

3) The 10 commandments are binding on our activity as believers, though we’re not judged by them.

4) The 10 commandments are what is written on the hearts of believers.

5) Keeping a day as separate for the Lord started with creation – not with the nation of Israel.

6) Sabbath worship is for worship of God (it’s holy), but it is also for the good of the people of God.

7) That’s because Sabbath worship is to entail communion with God through the means he’s established (preaching, worship, prayer, the sacraments, fellowship in the Church).

8) The Sabbath points to resting in Jesus. Though it’s true that this rest has entered history, it is a grave error to believe that it is fulfilled now in our world or experience. We look forward to a future rest, just as the Israelites did; we just view it as having begun in history.

9) The NT Church continued to meet together regularly on the first day of the week, putting worldly pursuits aside.

10) Though our whole lives are to be about worship, certain things are instituted so that we will worship apart from normal, daily activity – with all of who we are focused on God.

11) Nowhere in Scripture is the (weird!) notion that God removed the old commandments and completely put new commandments into effect. Jesus exposited the Law (itself an exposition of the first command ever given in Genesis 1) – he didn’t replace it!