Category: Sabbath

Are You a Sinner?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Just in case you didn’t know…we are ALL sinners!

Do you believe that sitting in church on Sunday or Saturday or any time of the day or night is saving you from your sin? Then think again…sitting in the pews will not save you from your sin! Why are you there? Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying if you’re a sinner that you shouldn’t go to church , if that were the case then all the church buildings in the world would be empty! REMEMBER! WE ARE ALL SINNERS!

Maybe you’re thinking that whatever they have will rub off on you? Well maybe, some of it could, especially if you’re honestly searching for the “TRUTH”! Jesus – Yeshua is the way the TRUTH and the life, so hopefully, the church that you decide to attend is based on the Bible; the WORD of GOD! Cause if you’re there to find a way to get rich, or to become somehow enlightened in the realm of the unknown or to become united with the universe, you’re in the wrong place! If you’re in a church that is teaching eternal Salvation through the Blood of Christ – Jesus- Yeshua, then you’ve struck “gold” and with time, learning and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you’ll have found a place to call home on this earth that will help to prepare you for a future in the “Kingdom of God”.

Now I have to ask…are you going to church out of habit? Ahhh…it’s Sunday Morning and this is what you do on Sunday morning. You’ve been getting up and going to church since you were a child. Besides, you just got a new hat or a new necktie that you want everyone to see. Or maybe, you’re going to church because there’s nothing better to do…it’s raining and the fish aren’t biting! Oh Yeah! Jesus – Yeshua was a “fisher of men”, so maybe you feel HIM calling you and you don’t know how to answer, so going to church is a starting point.

Then are there times when you’re sitting in the pews and you look around and feel like you’re not fitting in? You’re surrounded by a congregation of elderly folks…lots of widows. There may be a few families and a spattering of younger people. The music isn’t quite what you signed up for, maybe the hymns are too long of the praise music is too loud or ….on and on it goes…you feel like you’re grasping at the question: why am I here? Do you look around and wonder are they truly happy? If not, why aren’t they happy? Is sitting in church just not fulfilling to you and you can’t seem to figure out how to fill the void of emptiness? Does the Sermon end with you asking more questions than it answered?

When you read in the Bible that it says “FEAR GOD” do you tremble? The Apostle Paul actually tells us that we should tremble at the POWER and the GLORY of our “Father in Heaven”. Maybe when you think about your sin, you’re afraid that you’re not forgiven, and because of this fear you’re not at peace?

You might be surprised to learn that Jesus – Yeshua asked questions too…not quite the same questions you are asking, but HIS questions were to wake us up so that we don’t sit in the pews and wonder why we are there.

Scriptures from the TLV ~ Tree of Live Version of the Bible

Could it be that you’re expecting more from the building, the preacher and the congregation than they are capable of giving? Now’s when you face yourself and ask yourself all the hard questions? Who is Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach? One of the first questions Jesus – Yeshua asked his disciples is “Who do you say I am?” Jesus poses the question in 3 books of the Gospel. It must have been very intense questioning for Matthew, Mark and Luke to remember it and then to write it down.

Matthew 16:13-16 When Yeshua came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They answered, “Some say John the Immerser, others say Elijah, and still others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 15 He said, “But who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Mark 8:27-29 Now Yeshua and His disciples went out to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, “John the Immerser; and others Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” 29 Then He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him, “You are the Messiah!”

Luke 9:18-20 Once when Yeshua was praying alone and His disciples were near, He put a question to them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They replied, “John the Immerser, but others Elijah, and others that some prophet from among the ancients has arisen.” 20 Then He said to them, “But who do you that say I am?” Then Peter answered and said, “The Messiah of God.”

Peter’s answer was the one that Jesus was looking for at that moment, however, throughout the Scriptures, we soon learn that Jesus – Yeshua is ALL – Everything! HE is in the FATHER and the FATHER IS IN HIM!

If you don’t know exactly who Jesus – Yeshua is, then you will always have more questions than answers. There’s only one way to get the answers and that’s to not only read, but study your Bible! Everything you need to know from the beginning to the end of time is written down for us. There’s Love and War, there’s Love and Hate, theirs Love of money and the price people pay for greed. There’s Love between men and women and their children. There’s poetry, songs, guidance, and prophecy. There’s pain, loss and despair. There’s miracles and the supernatural. There’s so many facets of the Bible that once you’ve picked it up, you don’t want to put it down and then when you finally find yourself reading the Gospels and the “New Testament”, all of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Suddenly your recognize that the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed and the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed! You will soon learn that from the very first words of the Book of Genesis, Heavenly Father gives us the WORD (HIS SON JESUS – YESHUA) to tell us what He has is store for those who believe in HIS SON, who came to this world to save us from our sins by dying a horrible death on the cross and to rise again on the 3rd day to eternal life. If you repent from your sin and believe he died for you and then you are baptized the Holy Spirit will come to live in you and YOU WILL BE CHANGED.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This is why we sinners sit together in church on Sunday or Saturday or any day of the week! This is where we go to share our faith and to gain strength from one another. This is how we become the body of the Christ – Jesus – Yeshua. This is where we begin to find the direction that Heavenly Father wants to lead us in, whether we become evangelists, teachers, preachers, etc…as followers of Christ, we take the first steps of honoring Yeshua by becoming HIS disciples. This is where we go when we are truly caught in the net of the one and only FISHER of MAN!

Matthew 4:19  And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Who changed the Sabbath to Sunday?

The 4th Commandment is important to me because I want every aspect of my life to reflect the life of Jesus…Jesus was PERFECT and kept ALL of HIS FATHER’S commandments. I recognize that I can never measure up to Jesus, but with every fiber of my being I want to try to reflect Him in my life. I thank you Heavenly Father that belief in your son and His Sacrifice is Salvation and I have the choice through faith and obedience to become one of your children!

Emperor Constantine I Changed the Sabbath to Sunday on March 7, 321, however, Roman Emperor Constantine I issued a civil decree making Sunday a day of rest from labor, stating: All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon the venerable day of the sun. From that point in time, it slowly ebbed it’s way in to replace the Sabbath (day of rest) that was proclaimed by God after He created the Earth and ALL that’s on the Earth.

Genesis 2:1-3 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.

What is the original Sabbath day? The Jewish people have kept the Sabbath (from Hebrew shavat, “to rest”) and it’s observed throughout the year on the seventh day of the week— which according to the Gregorian calendar (introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII), instead of “SABBATH”, we now call it Saturday (named after the Roman God Saturn). According to biblical tradition, Sabbath commemorates the original seventh day on which God rested after completing the creation.

God, who is omnipotent (all powerful), does not require a day of rest, after all, he created the entire world in six days. However, man is just the opposite of God, we are powerless, so He designed a day of rest for us and it was also a day for us to commune with Him and get to know Him better.

4th Commandment:

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest: even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest”.

NOWHERE in the BIBLE does it say that “God our Heavenly Father” or “Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach” changed the Sabbath or gave us permission to change it from the 7th day of the week to the 1st day of the week. According to the Scriptures Jesus kept Sabbath. The following scriptures all speak to the fact that Jesus was teaching and healing in the synagogue on the Sabbath:

Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

Mark 6:2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

Luke 6:6-11 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

Jesus didn’t abolish the Sabbath…as in so many other instances, Jesus was showing the people that the Sabbath had been “profaned” by the teachings of MAN! (PLEASE NOTE that throughout all the teachings of Jesus – Yeshua, not once did He say that any of the 10 Commandments of God had been taken away, as a matter of fact, he explained in more detail the commandments to reinforce their importance!) Yes! It’s true that God wrote the 10 Commandments on stone after they left Egypt and while they were in the wilderness with Moses, but that was because the Israelite tribes had been slaves of Egypt for 400 years and throughout that time, they’d lost touch with how God expected them to live. He didn’t give them the commandments to be a “death penalty” he gave them the commandments as a guidance or a book of rules to follow that would make them pleasing in His sight. The Christians today, believe that the 10 Commandments were nailed on the CROSS when Jesus died for our sins, but what they don’t recognize is that it was not God’s guidance that was nailed on the cross, it was all of the ceremonial laws that were in themselves a prophecy of the coming Messiah – Jesus fulfilled these prophecies as well as every prophecy in the entire Old Testament.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

The definition of fulfil is to carry out, or bring to realization, as a prophecy or promise. to perform or do, as duty; obey or follow, as commands. to satisfy (requirements, obligations, etc.) The entire Old Testament is preparing us for the 1st coming of our Lord Jesus – Emmanuel -GOD WITH US! Jesus’s birth and ministry fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament and The New Testament sets forth in detail exactly what Jesus expects of us as HIS followers. Ultimately, the Bible gives us God’s plan for Salvation beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation.

Luke 13:10-16 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

Luke 14:1-5 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

Matthew 12:1–8 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. This same account of Jesus and His disciples is repeated in Mark 2:23–28 and Luke 6:1–5. In all 3 accounts, Jesus tells us that He is the “LORD of the SABBATH”.

He reminds the Pharisees of David and the sacred bread and how the Priests had not shown mercy, but condemned them. I believe that He’s saying that the Priests have complicated the Law of the Sabbath and twisted it to their own interpretations. Jesus is not saying that the Sabbath is no longer valid. He’s saying “DO GOOD on the SABBATH”! and of course, we are to do good everyday.

Mark 2:27  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

When man is referenced in the Bible, He’s not just talking about the Jews! He’s talking about Gentiles (ALL MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN). The SABBATH was kept during the time before and after the flood and before the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (patriarch of the 12 tribes of Israel). The time period from creation until Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the 10 Commandments was approximately 2500 years. So for those who say the Sabbath is for the Jews, they are missing the point that the Sabbath is for all mankind.

The apostles kept the Sabbath: in the book of Acts when Paul goes to Corinth, he’s taken into the home of Aquila and Priscilla (who were already followers of Jesus) and it is understood that he worked with them as a tent maker; every Sabbath, Paul went to the synagogue using the Scriptures (OLD TESTAMENT) to persuade both Jews and Greeks proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah.

Acts 18:11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

That’s approximately 72 Sabbaths (I’m talking 7th day – that doesn’t include the High Sabbaths held during the feasts). I can’t help but believe that if the Sabbath had been changed, Paul and the other apostles would have used this book alone as an opportunity to make this change known to the Gentiles. So of course the Apostles didn’t change it! Aside from proclaiming the Gospel, it was the Apostles intention to emulate Christ in every aspect of their lives. So when Scripture tells us that keeping the Sabbath is referred to as a “custom”, that doesn’t make it any less important to God, it just means that from the beginning of time, God’s people had observed the 7th day as HIS SABBATH. If God hadn’t wanted us to observe the 7th day Sabbath he wouldn’t have started the 4th commandment by saying “REMEMBER”! He wouldn’t have declared it “HOLY” and “BLESSED“! What God has made HOLY remains HOLY!

The Bible tells us in regards to the antichrist:

Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

So keep this in your minds…the 1st day of the week Sunday was chosen to be the Sabbath by a man or men…Sunday had for centuries before the time of Jesus had been a day that the Romans had consecrated to the pagan Sun God and that’s also where it gets the name of Sunday. It became the official day of rest in the Roman Empire, making it the day of choice for church assemblies. The first-century apostles did not change it! NO human being, institution or state has ever had the right or been given the right to tamper with what God has set apart as Holy and Blessed. As you can see from reading the 4th Commandment, God makes it perfectly clear that He has blessed the 7th day and declared it holy.

As in today’s world, politics seem to orchestrate lawlessness and deception. Politicians have always put themselves above the law, especially God’s Law. If you’re willing to look at historical evidence, the substitution of Sunday for the Sabbath took hold largely through a political decision made by the Roman Emperor Constantine, who by legalizing Christianity, he secured a political advantage over a defeated contender for the office of emperor. Rome which had been Pagan for centuries, used and abused Christianity by making it a puppet under the control of the state. When Constantine made the decision to move the capitol of Rome to Constantinople (in what is today’s country of Turkey), he left the city of Rome in the hands of the Pope.

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Once you’ve accepted Jesus to be your Savior and repented from your sins, every moment of everyday of your life, you are standing at the fork in the road…you have to make a choice whether you are desiring to continue as a child of God or as a child of the world! Are you willing to choose the narrow way? Jesus tells us that we must give up this world to be His follower. So I end this blog by saying choose wisely!