Welcome to the kingdom citizens blog!
Putting God first assures us that we will be ushered into restoration, edification, stability, and tranquility...R.E.S.T.
My most recent blog post, Released Into the Rest of Christ, discussed how we, as believers, should enter into the rest of Christ. It is a necessary component of our walk with God. With understanding those few tips on how to practically celebrate our Sabbath, let's visit the elephant in the room - whether the Sabbath should be on Saturday or Sunday.
Which Day Should Be Observed as the Sabbath?
Though the Old Testament celebrated the Sabbath Day on Saturday, the New Testament doesn’t make a particular day of the week mandatory for the Sabbath Day to be observed. What we do have in the New Testament are two scriptures that provide clarity on how we, as individuals, should approach implementing the Sabbath Day of rest. Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16-17 help us recognize some key points about when we should observe our day of rest.
Romans 14:5-6
“5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.” (NIV)
Colossians 2:16-17
“16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (NIV)
Scriptural Reflection
In Romans 14:5-6 we see in plain view that each believer is tasked with having enough faith to believe in their own day of choice, concerning a Sabbath Day of rest. We can choose one day or several days to consecrate for the Lord. Perhaps you’re in between jobs or on vacation or just need more than one day that is dedicated to basking in the Lord’s presence. The permission to do so is given right here in this passage of scripture.
Colossians 2:16-17 not only rebukes the judgment of someone who objects to our personal selection of the weekly Sabbath but goes on to further educate us on what the weekly Sabbath Day actually represents. Like the Israelites who wandered the desert for 40 years, many people today wander the wilderness of cultural norms, completely disconnected from God’s promise of prosperity in the promised land.
Due to their lack of faith, whole generations were not permitted into the natural rest of the promised land flowing with milk and honey. Only Caleb and Joshua were allowed to lead the generations with them into the promised land of rest. Without persevering in our faith, we could lose the privilege of entering into the Lord’s rest. Deuteronomy 1:29-38 records these events, calling that generation evil for their lack of faith in verse 35:
29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”
37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.
Connecting Deut. 1:29-38 back to Rom. 14:5-6 & Col. 2:17
Back to Colossians 2:17, “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” We discover that though the Sabbath Day is given as a practical blessing for all believers, in the Old Testament it was also a foreshadowing of Christ’s rest to come. The Promised Land was a physical destination that served a practical use but also had great spiritual and revelatory significance.
The Promised Land is a literal location with language used as a placeholder for a supernatural encounter with the true Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ. Like the Israelites who eventually were led out of the wilderness into the land of Canaan, Jesus Christ intends to lead us into His rest and away from the wilderness of the powers of darkness that overwork us into separation from our Sabbath.
Thoughts For the Road
We know that there is a Sabbath to be observed. We know that it is a day of rest. And we know that it’s our individual decision, which day we select for our Sabbath rest. With all that we’ve learned so far about the Sabbath, let’s take a deeper dive into the Lord’s take on the Sabbath and how it benefits us. In my next blog, we'll gain a more intimate understanding of what this gift from God actually means to Jesus.
Make sure to stay tuned in for this next blog post so you don't miss out on your word of encouragement...We'll be discussing the Sabbath Day Jesus expects us to observe. Thank you and God bless!
Scripture of Emphasis:
Mark 2:27-28 (NLT)
"27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
Thank You and God Bless!
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