The Purpose Of The Sabbath

The principle of the Sabbath Rest goes beyond a law to be obeyed. Everything Yahweh put in place has a greater purpose that we should seek to understand so that we can live it with purpose. It is more than a chosen day for worship. It is more than a day when we consider spiritual matters. These things cannot be contained within the restrictions of a calendar day. Worship and and meditation are infused into every day of the week. So what is the purpose of a Sabbath? Consider the Scriptures:

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:1-3)

Yahweh had finished everything he had set himself to do. It was finished. On this seventh day Yahweh created one last thing as he declared it was finished; rest. Rest is the intended purpose of the Sabbath. Do we really think that the Creator was tired and needed a break? Not at all, but having completed everything, he set into place the rest from labour. It was intended to be a time of recuperating strength. It was put into place as a thing of restoration.

When we examine the laws that were put into place under Moses we find this principle of rest. There was the seventh year, the Sabbath year, the year of restoration. In the seventh year the fields would be given rest; nothing would be planted. In the seventh year all lands that had been sold would be restored to their proper owner. In the seventh year, anyone who had sold themselves as a slave would be released. It was a year of rest and restoration. Now bring it back to the seventh day.

From the very beginning Yahweh had not created us to be machines, working without rest. Our body, mind and spirit need rest from work, to rest and be restored. We need a time to come away and relax, to take a deep breath, to reflect on our week and call it good. It is only natural that we would also use this day for corporate worship, for reflecting on the goodness of Yahweh, to consider our blessings and be refreshed and restored spiritually as well as physically. We need this daily as well but there are special blessings found in the corporate activity of worship.

We just need to be careful that we do not turn the Sabbath into a law that destroys its intended purpose. The one thing Jesus kept coming up against was the restrictive attitude of the spiritual leaders toward the Sabbath. Jesus said that Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath. Our rest should never keep us from doing what is right and good. It is intended as a day of blessed rest, not tortured restrictions. Yahweh intended it as a blessing for us, so practice the Sabbath, on whatever day you can, because you need rest and restoration. Be blessed in it and give Father the glory for the love and wisdom he pours out on us.

Dying To The Principles Of This World

Some of you are participating in the 21 Day Fast Event that is taking place in the Church around the world. Good. It is a good thing as we start off the new year with a desire to increase our intimacy with God. We need to do this to remember that we are not from this place. We need to remember that our life is not based on the principles of this world; we are not governed by its philosophies. A fast strips everything away and leaves us alone with God. The Word warns us:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

You would be surprised how quickly the values of this world can overpower the values of the Kingdom. We are constantly bombarded with them every day. It is like an ocean in which we are drowning. Too many Christians think they can sail through with little effort and not be affected by these values. They honestly believe that they are serving Jesus when they are actually serving themselves.

We should always take a little survey when we are considering the things we are involved in and the decisions we are making:

1. Why am I doing this?
2. Who does this benefit?
3. What value is it based on?
4. Does it have any eternal value?
5. When I am standing before Jesus will I be proud of this moment?

One very simple principle of the Kingdom is that our life no longer belongs to us. Jesus bought us at great price and because of his love we are glad we belong to him. Not belonging to ourselves means that we must live in Jesus, taking on his priorities, his values, his loves. If we do not understand and fail to act upon this one very simple principle, we will never be in step with the Spirit.

Unfortunately we never quite grasp how much we have been deceived because the further we get into it the more we are convinced we are okay. In the beginning there are some nagging doubts but soon the fog covers our eyes and all is well, or so we think. Fasting has a way of clearing that fog and bringing the principles of the Kingdom into sharp focus. It brings a clarity of thought and wellness to our body. There is a clearing out of our entire being. It reminds us of what is important.

We need this. So many of you have expressed that you want 2013 to be a year of greater intimacy with Jesus. Good. Now do something about it. I would go so far as to suggest that you do more than just the Daniel's Fast; try doing an entertainment fast as well. For 21 days turn off the TV, don't watch any movies, turn off the music, except what you use for worship. Stay away from YouTube, FaceBook, Tumblr, except for the ways you use it to communicate with friends and family. Get your thoughts off the principles of this world and for 21 days bathe yourself in prayer, the Word of God, worship and service.

This is hitting a reset button. After the 21 days you will need to figure out how to maintain a closer walk with Jesus while swimming in the vales, principles and philosophies of this world but at least start with the reset. If you didn't start on January 1st it is okay, much of the Church is not starting until January 6th, the first Sunday of the new year. The important thing is not when you start but that do start at some point. Don't expect it will be easy. To withdraw from the values, principles, and philosophies of this world is like coming off of a drug. For the first little while your body and mind will scream for a "fix" but if it does then you know you were in a bad way. This should fortify you even more to go to the end of it.

I pray this will be a fantastic year of growth in your relationship with Jesus but also in your service for the Kingdom. I pray this time of fasting will bring clarity to who you are in Jesus and to the principles that govern our very being. God bless you in your desire for Jesus to increase and for you to decrease. To God be the glory, mighty warrior.