Message given 10/3/24

[Not me]

           Keeping the Sabbath; 

In Matthew 5, in the Beatitudes we read that Jesus expounded on a few of the commandments… He expounded on the commandment to not murder, to include being angry with your brother without cause… He also expounded on the commandment
about adultery, to include looking at a woman with lust, as being already guilty….  Had Jesus went on to expound on the rest of the commandments, when He got to the commandment about the Sabbath, He would have explained that the Sabbath was made so one might cease from their own works… We are also told in Hebrews 4:3 ‘that he that enters into faith has ceased from their own works’…. In other words, he that believes has ceased from their own works, has entered into, and is keeping the Sabbath of God….

What is it then, that one is suppose to believe, that one might cease from their own works and thereby enter into this Sabbath rest of God…? It is the willingness to keep believing into one’s death with Christ on the cross, and then by faith subject oneself to God as one that is alive from the dead… It is believing these two parts of the Christian faith that causes one to enter into this rest of God… 

Which two parts are put forth in the scripture in Romans 6:11 where it reads; ‘So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, (this being the first part) ‘but alive to God in Christ Jesus.’ (as being the second part)…. Which two parts correspond to both Christ’s death and His resurrection, for we as Christian’s are to believe out of something and then into something… And again, these same two parts of faith are put forth again in Galatians 2:20 where it reads; ‘I have been crucified with Christ’, (this again being the first part of faith that the believer is to believe), and (then again the second part), ‘it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me’…. Which two parts make up the faith that the believer is to believe, for we are to believe out of the old and into the new…. Because all things come from God by faith, therefore does scripture say; ‘that which is not of faith is sin’, because trusting God is the all of the Christian faith….

For we as believers are to enter into our own death and resurrection, just as Christ died and was raised again, we are to join ourselves by faith to His death and resurrection, thereby making His death and resurrection our death and resurrection….. It being a faith that believes out of something and then into something, and this something is being joined with Christ as He fulfilled the requirements of the law concerning the sinner… Thereby becoming a Savior to all that by faith join themselves to Him,,, and subsequently give a new life to all that would be willing to enter into this faith…. For the new birth is a real new life growing and overcoming all that has fallen… 

For consider; how can a created being, form their Creator In themselves..? The answer is, the created being cannot, it has to be done for them by the Creator Himself…. . For this is what is being addressed, God’s Divine life, God’s Divine nature really and truly coming to life in one….. For Christianity is a faith that grabs onto God’s willingness to do something in the one that would want Him to… And this wanting Him to, shows itself by one being willing to deny one’s own will for His will… For it is the willingness to grab unto Him, as one who has died to the life of this world, that they might receive the gift of the new life that was promised those that would possess this willingness, would receive from Him….

For it being the truth; to the depths of this willingness to believe these two parts of the Christian faith, will be the measure of that one being conformed into His image…. 

For this believing, that subjects itself to God as one that is alive from the dead, is done, by denying one’s own will in all of one’s doings, for this here is a most critical truth; this denying of one’s own will is done by looking for what is righteousness in all of the situations and circumstances one finds oneself in…. For if one would want to subject themselves to God, this subjecting, is always found by seeking after what is righteousness in all of one’s doings, righteousness itself, always being God’s will…. 

For there is a choice set before all of mankind, one is the doing of one’s own will, that which self wants and thinks, the other is the doing of Christ’s will, that which He wants and thinks, for one being unrighteousness, the other being righteousness….. For it is the willingness to believe that righteousness does in fact exist and needs to be sought after in all of one’s doings, that is the subjecting oneself to God’s will that will reap the fruit of the knowledge of His presence….For it is this willingness to search after what is righteousness that causes one to deny one’s own will, and by that denying, cease from one’s own works and enter into this rest of God, for God’s rule of righteousness, which is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus will live a life of righteousness in and through the one that is willing to believe…. Because the Sabbath of God was made for man that he might cease from the works of self and enjoy the peace and joy of God that comes from believing what God said He would work in one….

Which truth, will be easier to enter into, understand and accept, and by that, be willing to deny the life of this world, once it is known why the life of this world, is sin….

     Therefore the next subject I would like to touch on, is; why the life of this world is sin….

The life of this world is sin because the self life, the life that we all were born into when we were born into the life of this world, is that life that elevates itself above that which is right…. 

This is why the life of this world must be denied, for it only cares about doing what benefits itself, as long as it satisfies its desires towards the this and the that, being that the pride of being alive takes precedence over all things…. Doing what is right simply because it is the right thing to do is painful to the self life, it will find a way to justify doing what it wants, in lieu of doing what is right, because, it itself, is more important to it then the doing of that which is right…. Therefore scripture calls this the ‘pride of life’, the self life, not knowing this eternal truth, that it is righteousness that makes for life…. For this here is a most freeing and establishing truth, for when it is seen, that it is righteousness that makes for life, the doing of the right, which is the doing of God’s will, becomes the all of one’s endeavors… Denying self becomes a joy to itself, painful and distressing at times, yes, but the knowledge and joy that comes from being brought to the place where one is weary of doing one’s own will, and then, because of this weariness, the life of own will chooses to rest in his God… Then in this resting, being truly set free from the controlling power of sin that is still alive in one’s members…. This life of joy and freedom then becomes the goal, for in this life of joy and freedom comes the knowledge that one is putting a smile on their Creator’s face and is getting to know the Being of all Beings….. 

For the truth being; all unrighteousness is an elevation of self, and the new birth has only come to life in one as far as one’s obedience to righteousness goes….. 

For it is this life that must be denied, given up and reckoned dead that our Lord spoke to when He said ‘if any man would come after me he must deny himself pick up his cross and follow me’…. For God’s will is always the doing of righteousness, for when it is discovered that it is impossible for one to walk in righteousness except one enter into the Sabbath rest of God, one runs with all their might into this rest that God has made for man… It is this that scripture speaks of when it speaks of the ‘violent shall take it by force’, for in this violent grabbing onto by faith does one cease from their own works and grab unto the new life God promised in scripture…. 

For all things come from God by faith, for it is this faith in God alone that enters into the rest of God and it is this entering into this rest that grows one into a new creation…. For if one is not being grown into a new creation in the time of this life, something is being left on the table that God would have for that one….For our salvation is a real birth of a real new life grown in one in the time of this life…..
       
The next subject I would like to touch on is fruit and works, for fruit and works being one and the same thing…. 

For in James 2:18 we read; 
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

In Matthew 7:20 we read; 
“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

In 2 Corinthians 12:6b we read; …………….so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

These three scriptures are pointing to the same truth, and that truth being the outward expression of something….. For is not one’s fruit the outward expression of something, and is not one’s work, the same thing, an outward expression of something..? For is not an expression of love an outward expression of an inward willingness to express something…? This outward expression may be described as kindness, gentleness, patience, long suffering, etc, but are not all these and inward desire to manifest something outwardly…? 

And again, when Paul says to judge him by what you hear and see in him, is he not saying you are to judge him according to the things you see coming forth out of him…?  For these two words fruit and works are just two different words pointing to the same truth and that being the amount of Christ that is being expressed…..

The last subject I would like to touch on is the difference between a burden and a load….

In Galatians 6:2 we read; ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.’… 

Then three verses later, in Galatians 6:5 it reads; ‘For each one will bear his own load.’…. 

So the question being; what is the difference between a burden and a load..?  A load being that which one can carry, a burden being that which one cannot….  For we are to help one another carry their burden, but we are not to help one carry their own load…. The truth being put forth in the scripture is; if one does help one carry their own load, that one, as hard as it might be to hear, is sinning…

Which truth is addressed in 2 Thessalonians 3:10b where it says, ‘…….. if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either’…. 

For scripture does not say, that one, ‘will not eat’, but it does say, that he, ‘is not to eat’, in other words, scripture is addressing the one, that would feed the one that would not work….. 

For we are not one another’s savior, but we are there to help them to do right, and if they are unwilling to do right, we allow, as painful as it may be, we allow them to reap the fruit of their own actions, whether that fruit be good or bad, continually and constantly pointing them to righteousness…

For the question has been asked ‘am I my brother’s keeper’..? 

It all depends on what you mean by ‘by being your brother’s keeper’,,, if by that, you mean that you are your brother’s meal ticket,  no, you are not, but it does mean, you are there to help him to do right, for that is the keeping that one person owes another; this continual and constantly pointing towards righteousness…

Then the question will inevitably come up; how does one tell the difference between a burden and a load…. For it is true, that which can be a burden to one, can be a load to another, and vice-versa…. This is where one’s relationship, and understanding of the peace of Christ in one’s heart, as the director of one’s life affairs, has its place…..

Which truth I will leave the application of, to God, in each and every one’s heart….

For one being formed into a new creation in the time of this life is the one thing necessary for all fallen creatures… All other concerns are, as one might say, just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic….For one’s death with Christ on the cross, is God’s salvation from the life of this world and being resurrected with Christ is a real new life formed in one in the time of this life…. For our salvation is a real new life growing up and in one, because the new birth is a birth of that Life that can manifest righteousness, for the Divine Nature being the only nature that can, for it is righteousness that makes for life, and God would have us live…..

I would like to leave you with a parting thought; 

The highest gift of love you can give to anyone, and give to everyone, is to make yourself obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ….. The question then is, how does one make oneself obedient….? The answer is, one’s obedience is only as deep as that one’s willingness to trust Him to manifest righteousness in that one’s life goes… Because it is righteousness that makes for life, and God loves us so much He has done all He could to make us live, the choice is now ours….. 

So very blessed will be they that pursue this obedience which comes through faith, because Jesus did die and the believing one did die with Him, for all of God is now available to the one that believes this truth…. For the freedom and joy that this truth brings to the believing one,  makes life a joy to itself…

May we all be blessed with, and enjoy, and experience the new life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord…..

Amen and amen…

[D. Adrien]

Sabbath keeping requires self discipline.

[farouk]

7 hours ago, D. Adrien said:

Sabbath keeping requires self discipline.

It also requires a form of law-keeping, seemingly.

[D. Adrien]

2 hours ago, farouk said:

It also requires a form of law-keeping, seemingly.

Wasn't Jesus keeping the law as he went to the cross?

 

I stumbled upon an interesting topic one day concerning being clean or unclean; (All ESV),

Lev.10:10, 10You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, ...

Eze. 22:26, 26Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

2Cor.6:14-7:1, 

14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

And last but not least I present Rev. 21:27, 27But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The weekly Sabbath is set aside as holy according to creation week in Genesis. Where was the Jew then?