The Lion's Army

The 7th Day of Creation - Sabbath
- The first verse of chapter 2 is the same verse as the last verse in chapter 1.
- Chapter 2 is zooming in on mankind and what happens to mankind.
- The Bible has a very specific purpose and focus, to show what happened to mankind after the fall.
- By the 7th day of creation God had finished His work and rested that day, making it holy and setting it apart. That became known as Sabbath Day.
        - There is a dispute between Christians about which day the Sabbath Day is, whether it be Saturday or Sunday.
Exodus 31:12-13, 14b-17 The 7th day is the Sabbath Day and if anyone doesn’t rest that day is to be put to death. So it’s pretty serious to Him.
        “Say to the Israelites [...] this will be a sign between me and you (the Jews). The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, [...] it will be a sign between me and the Israelites.” They believe in teaching, “replacement theology”, that the church replaces Israel.
        Since the church replaces Israel we’re subject to the same laws that Israel was under but a lot of those laws they can’t keep. However, there’s nowhere in the Bible that says that the church replaces Israel.
        Paul and Jesus both used specific language to say that we were no longer under the Mosaic law. In Matthew 26:27-28 Jesus lifted a cup of wine and said “new covenant in my blood”. He inaugurated a new covenant. Paul goes on in Romans 6:14 and Galatians 4:1-6 to say that we are no longer under law but under grace. Hebrews 7 even says when there is a change in priesthood there also must be a change in the law.
        What was the Sabbath? A day of rest. The Israelites made it way more and came up with all sorts of laws then ways to get around them. God just said “rest”. But Israelites had to decide what was “work” and what wasn’t.
        A walk became a Sabbath day walk where you could only walk so far. Then to get around that they figured out that if they took something from their home and the day before the Sabbath day walk they walked the distance and put the item down, that became their property and where they lived. So then they can go home and on the day of the Sabbath day walk, they can walk out to that property and then walk another distance from there because it’s “their home” and still be within that guidelines.
- The writer of Hebrews also tells us that the Sabbath is all about Jesus. So how do we keep the Sabbath? By faith. Everything is by faith. Hebrews 4:9-10 says “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Verse 3 says “For we who have believed do enter that rest.”
- How do you enter the rest of God? By faith. Resting from your work. Are you trying to be good enough to get into Heaven? Then you are not resting. If you are trusting what Jesus did on the cross as good enough to get you to heaven then you have entered His rest.
- Every Christian needs to ask themselves the question: am I working for my salvation? Am I trying to be good enough to be saved?
        If you’re trying to be good enough, to live the good “Christian” life, because you want to impress God and have Him accept you and love you, then you have not entered into His rest.
        If you’re sitting back and saying there is nothing you can do to get to heaven, you’re lost and hopeless, but Jesus died on the cross for you and what He did was enough then resting is all you can do.