Keep the Sabbath holy
Exodus 31:12~18 Then the Lord said to Moses, “ Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” (12~13)
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #27 Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned
As we live our Christian walk of faith, there is one thing that we must experience. That is none other than experiencing God’s Word. God’s Word is simply God Himself. The message, ‘Keep the Sabbath holy,’ is a message that we must keep the Lord’s Day. The worship that we give on the Lord’s Day is the blessing of all blessings. What is most important amidst that blessing is grabbing hold of the covenant from the pulpit message. It is the same method by which the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness. During the age of the Old Testament and the Early Church, God accomplished His works through those who followed after the Word. There may be over thousands of problems, but the one and only solution is Jesus Christ. It is of the utmost importance that we grab hold of the covenant through the Word.
1. The covenant of the three feasts
While the Israelites were walking through the wilderness, God explained to them about the covenant through the three feasts. The covenant of the Passover is salvation. The miracle of Exodus as a result of the Passover is the essence of the Bible that is linked to Genesis 3:15, Exodus 3:18, Isaiah 7:14, and Matthew 16:16. The blessing that Jesus Christ, the King of kings, becomes Christ to us is salvation. The event in which the Israelites reaped the crops after 50 days in the wilderness is the Pentecost. The covenant of the Pentecost is the power and working of God. It is the evidence that with His mighty hand God leads His people by the Holy Spirit. It is precisely the promise of the filling of the Holy Spirit, given in Acts 1:8 and Zechariah 4:6. The covenant of the Feast of Ingathering is the kingdom of God. It is the event in which the Israelites gathered in their crops from the field to store. Holding to the eternal covenant and the hope for the kingdom of God is the blessing of the Feast of Ingathering that only Christians can enjoy. Salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the kingdom of God must be in us today.
2. The covenant of the Sabbath
Enjoying the covenant of the three feasts altogether is the covenant of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the day when we lay down all things of the world and fully gain the spiritual power of heaven. Through the Sunday message we must enjoy to the fullest the grace of salvation, the Holy Spirit and God’s kingdom. The day when we enjoy God’s grace and give glory and praise that are fitting for God’s name is the Sabbath. The Sabbath that we presently keep is the day when Jesus resurrected. If we can bring the blessing of every Lord’s Day to every day of our life, our daily living will be a continuation of Immanuel. In regard to our family problems, church problems, and personal problems that we find hard to share with others, we must hold on to the Word of God.
-Pray that God grants you the heart to crave worship and the Word so that the spiritual grace of daily experiencing salvation, the Holy Spirit, and the kingdom of God overflows in your field and in the midst of your problems.
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2010.4.25