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The Sabbath, the Gospel, and the Ten Commandments

Must we keep quiet when God’s moral law is being broken and substituted by those who claim to be speaking for God?
Why must we celebrate another Ten Commandments day different from the Ten Commandments day that God already put within His own moral law? Christians where is your conscience? You know the Sabbath by the day Jews go to church. You know the Sabbath by the day Christ, the apostles, and Paul went to church. Paul is significant because he was the apostle to the Gentiles.

But I guess the big question is really not which day is the Sabbath for that is plane to all. If you can read this message you can click the Sabbath in the internet and instantly learn enough to convince you that the Sabbath is Saturday. Or simply find a Jew and ask Him which day is the Sabbath. Is the Sabbath relevant to the gospel of Christ? The gospel spells out how God puts people right with Himself. It is through faith in Christ alone. The message of the gospel is the message of righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus. This righteousness was promised to Abraham before the law was given on Mount Sinai. It is written that the law and the prophets bore testimony to it. Romans 3:20-21. That is, righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus is the way of righteousness that the law approves. In other words the law including the Ten Commandments finds its fulfillment in Christ alone. The righteousness of Christ came though His perfect obedience to the law of God including death on the cross. The righteousness of Christ vindicates both the justice of God and the love of God. It is God’s way of being both just and merciful at the same time. See Romans 3:21-26, and Romans 5:1-5, 6-8.

According to His customs Christ always kept the Sabbath day Holy. When Christ kept the Sabbath we kept it in Him because of our corporate union with Him as the last Adam, and the second man. That is the first and most important point among everything that follows. Romans 5:12-19. Through faith Christ lives in the believer. Colossians 1:27, John 15:1-7. If Christ is in you today because of your faith in Him, will you break His commandments? Will Christ in you live contrary to the life He lived while on earth 2000 years ago? Does the Holy Spirit lead us to disobedience? God forbid. Grace that we receive in Christ gives us power to say no to sin and all unrighteousness. Titus 2:11-14. Christians are called to imitate God and walk in love. Love obeys God’s word. Ephesians 5:1-2, John 14:15. God imitators must seek His word alone and not bow down to traditions of men.

Secondly, according to the law, the Sabbath was given as a commemoration of creation, redemption and sanctification. Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy, 5:12-15, and Exodus 31:12-18. Resting on the seventh-day is an act of faith that we believe in the righteousness of Christ alone. We have no confidence in our own righteousness. We trust in the perfect and finished work of God in Christ. Through Christ God has bridged the gap due to His broken law and through Him fellowship and worship of the true God has been restored. All Christians are called to follow the customs of Christ rather than of human traditions. Luke 4:16. The disciples followed the same custom even with the Gentile believers. Acts 13:42-44.,17:2.

Is the Sabbath significant under the new covenant? The Ten Commandments are relevant to both the old covenant and the new covenant. But in the old it is written in the tablets of stone and is therefore outside man. Exodus 34:28 “And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” Deuteronomy 4:13 says, “And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” It also written, Deuteronomy 10:4 “And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.”

The problem in the old testament was not with the Sabbath or with any one of the entire Ten Commandments. The Bible says that the problem was with the people themselves. They were carnal and the commandments were spiritual and they could not obey them. Hebrews 8:6-9 says, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord”

In the new covenant it is written in the hearts and minds of men. Therefore it is inside of man. But it is the same law. It is the moral law of God for all ages and for eternity. Jeremiah 31:31-34. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” See also Hebrews 8:10-13.

Should all Christians observe the same day as the Sabbath or should people be free to choose their own days of rest? The law expresses love to God and love to man, the image of God. Christians are called to enjoy rest in Christ and not to create their own laws contrary to the word of God. In the New Testament both Gentiles and Jews worshipped on the Sabbath and were told not to separate themselves. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” The celebration of the Sabbath is a celebration of our unity in creation, redemption and restoration to future glory when the Sabbath will be celebrated in the earth made new. We know that this Sabbath worship will continue forever because the prophet Isaiah said, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 66:22-23. It seems that the worship of Jehovah will always be on Sabbath. There is no prophecy of this Sabbath worship being transferred to another day. The Bible does warn that someone was coming to try and change the laws of God but not by the authority of God. Daniel 7:24-25, 2Thessalonians 2. The falling away from the truth was prophesied but also the restoration of truth. Daniel 8:13-14. See elsewhere for the study of these passages.
Here are some points to note:


Before God spoke about the old and new covenant He had already given the promise of blessing to both Jews and Gentiles through the Seed of Abraham. This promised of blessing was going to be on the grounds of faith alone. Abraham believed God and it was counted for him as righteousness. On that account the promise was given, and on that account the blessing of the promise is received and enjoyed by all who believes.
According to Galatians 3:1-14, you cannot put Christ and the law in contrast because Christ and the law are not enemies. In Isaiah 42:21 it is written, “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” Again in Psalm 40:8 it is written, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.” Read what Christ said about the law when He came, Matthew 5:17. Christ did not come to fight the law. He came meet its demands and bring in the promised blessing.
Did the law of God stand in the way of the promise? Not at all. Sin did. Sin that dwells in us (Romans 7:14, 17) stood in the way. Sin is what separates us from the blessing of God. God is spirit and the blessings of God operate in the realm of the spirit. The law is spiritual. That is the law is of God and functions in the realm of the spirit. It is holy, just and good. Romans 7:12. But I am carnal, sold as a slave to sin. The law serves to expose sin that dwells in us. The law brings the knowledge of sin so that we can experience our need for a savior. It exposes sin so that we can get ready for the blessing which comes through Christ, Abrahams Seed. Galatians 3:19-29.
The promise of Christ, the seed of Abraham was given before the law was added 430 years later. The promise held a blessing for all people, the natural descendants of Abraham and the children of Abraham according to faith. If you are not a Jew you enter into the promised blessing through faith in Christ Jesus alone. He is the Seed of Abraham. The blessing was promised before you ever kept the Sabbath or obeyed any of God’s Ten Commandments. This truth many people are not willing to concede, but it is still true because that is what the word of God says.
God gives you the promised blessing not because you have worked and obeyed the law by yourself but because you have put your faith in Christ Jesus. Putting your faith in Christ Jesus is of the highest value because the obedience that Jesus rendered to the law of God was perfect. The obedience of Christ fully met the demands of the law. By His life Jesus produced a perfect righteousness that the law approved. By His death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for sin. When you accept Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour, you are truly establishing the law by your confession of Christ, because His righteousness alone meets the demands of the law.
We conclude this section by affirming that all. Jews and Gentiles are blessed by God because of their union with Christ alone apart from the keeping of the law. For in union with Christ we have all kept the law of God perfectly. Our union with Christ in His life death and resurrection has delivered us from the law and its condemnation. Shall we continue in sin? Sins sin is a breaking of the law. The question therefore is, should we do away with the law? Should we make it null and void? All these questions have been answered by the scriptures that follow:
Question: Shall we make void the law? Answer: God forbid! Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Our union with Christ gives as the freedom to serve God through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit”
Question: Shall we continue is sin? Answer: God forbid! Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Question: Shall we sin because we are under grace? Answer: God forbid! Romans 6:15-16 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Question: Is the law sin? Answer: God forbid! Romans 7:7-14. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Now that the church is waking up to the validity of the claims of God in His Ten Commandments, let the church honour God and give Him the glory by returning to His word as written in the Bible. Let the Ten Commandments be ten, not nine. Let us return to the Sabbath day of the Lord and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in it. Revelations 14:6-12 warns against the worship of the creature rather than the creator. Sunday worship was instituted to worship the sun, not God. Let humility lead us back to the word of God and give Him the glory now because His judgment has come. You cannot ignore the truth. You are to be sanctified in the truth. Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:17. The Holy Spirit said, "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 'Most assuredly you shall keep my Sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.” Exodus 31:13 (WEB)

Read this passage Galatians 3:1-29, and ask God through the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. The bottom line is: 29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” This promise includes the heritage of Jacob blessing in Isaiah 58:13-14.




Galatians 3:1-29
(KJV)

1 ¶ O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6 ¶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
19 ¶ Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(KJV)

The bottom line is verse 29 above. “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” This promise includes the heritage of Jacob blessing in Isaiah 58:13-14. Do not miss it through unbelief. See Hebrews 3:13-19; 4:1-12. Enjoy the blessing of the Lord, your God.

Introducing the Heritage of Jacob

Discover God's blessings upon the Jews, Gentiles and people of all nations through their connection to Abraham, the servant of God. The Heritage of Jacob is your eternal inheritance through the promised seed of Abraham. In Isaiah 58:1-14, it is presented as the blessing of God upon Jews and Gentiles who obey God and keep the Sabbath day holy. But there is much more to it than many have cared to discern.
The Heritage of Jacob is God's way to everlasting prosperity in union with Christ. Galatians 3:6-4:1-7. This website will bring to you great truths about your eternal heritage in Jacob.
God must be real in our time. I want you to discover the truth and power of the word of God and claim God's promises for you today. Do you sometimes doubt God? How real is God to you? I invite you to experience the joy of knowing that you can take God at His word and actually possess the things that God says are yours in this present life.
Do not look to some far distant future as the place where you will experience the blessings of God. Ordinary people like you and me are discovering that God is true today as He was when He walked with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob four thousand years ago. One of the basic statements that God has declared is, "I the Lord do not change, so you O descendants of Jacob are not destroyed." Malachi 3: 6.
You may be familiar with Malachi 3:10 which talks about tithing. God says test me or try me in this and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing to you that you will not have room enough to receive. Many have believed His word and have seen God work miracles in their lives. They can only attribute these miracles to faithfulness in tithing. Are you one of those who are rejoicing in this discovery of God’s faithfulness? The blessing of Malachi 3:10 confirms God's word spoken in Malachi 3:6. God does not change. He is the same yesterday today and forever. Heb 13:8
There are many people who are rejoicing because they have discovered a small but powerful prayer hidden in 1 Chronicles 4:10. This prayer is best known as the Prayer of Jabez. Mr. Jabez did not know that what God had done for him long time ago would turn out to be an inspiration to thousands who would believe in God and dare to pray like he did. This simply proves the fact that God does not change. His promises remain true to all who would lay hold of them by faith and claim them.
The Old Testament is once again becoming alive with hot promises that people are just beginning to claim and experience. God is becoming alive in the life of thousands today who believe all of His word. It does not matter how religious you may be, until you experience God in a personal walk with Him, God remains a distant mysterious being who is not involved in your daily experiences. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a personal God who talks and shows and answers prayer.
Here is one of His most wonderful promises that you will ever find in the scriptures. It is simply called "The heritage of Jacob." It is a grand promise awaiting you to claim today. If you have experienced the blessing of tithing in Malachi 3:10, I want you to know that there is even a greater blessing waiting for you in the inheritance of Jacob. The blessing is found in the promise of God to you through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 58:14. God says, "…I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and feast on the inheritance of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken."
God has many blessings for you His child that He wants you to enjoy. The heritage of Jacob is one of the finest blessings God promised to give you to enjoy. This blessing is for you to claim by faith just like all other blessings that God has in store for you. In fact it is not one blessing but a whole lot of blessings more than you have ever thought possible in this present life.
God calls you a descendant of Jacob and invites you, or rather challenges you to experience the heritage of Jacob your father. How are you a descendant of Jacob? And what is the heritage of Jacob? We shall answer the first question later. But first let me show you what the heritage of Jacob is all about.
The story of Jacob is found in the book of Genesis. Jacob was one of the two sons of Isaac the son of Abraham. God had promised Abraham that through his seed, Abraham's seed, all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves. This blessing was promised to Abraham before he had any children. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to Him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6, 22; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6. He is the father of righteousness by faith. This was long before God wrote His law on tables of stone and gave it to Moses. Abraham was already declared righteous through His faith in the word of God. Abraham became the father of all those who would follow on to be counted righteous by faith alone. It is important to remember this because it explains how we are related to Abraham and Jacob.
In due time, Abraham had two sons. One was out of his own attempts to fulfill the word of God. This is a form of righteousness by works, an attempt to help God achieve His promises. It is a manifestation of unbelief in God's power to fulfill His promises. The other was a child of faith born not by human strength but by the power of God. His name was Isaac. The promise given to Abraham was passed on to Isaac. After his marriage, Isaac prayed for twenty-six years and God gave him Jacob and Esau. God chose Jacob to be the one to carry on the promise of a seed through whom the whole world would be blessed. Jacob was chosen before he was born. This indicates that he did not merit the election of God. It was by sheer grace that God chose Jacob. I tend to think that God majors in choosing terrible people so that His grace may shine even brighter.
Some times when we think that there is some merit in us we do not give God all the glory that is due Him. Read the story of Jacob and you will discover a real modern day crook, a liar and a swindler. He swindled his own brother out of a birthright and proceeded to lie to his own father. Jacob’s mother hatched the plan. She was another crook. That woman almost had her son cursed by God had Isaac discovered who he was blessing. But she was not the first schemer. Jacob’s grandmother, Sarah, was no better. She talked her husband Abraham into polygamy and then demanded that the slave woman be sent away with her son, Ishmael: The boy she loved before her own son Isaac came. May be she is to blame for the problems in the middle-east between Israel and Palestinians today. I do not know. But I hear they are related. I’m just overwhelmed by some of the things done some of some of these blessed people of Biblical times. The Old Testament is fullof the grace of God, just as the New Testament is a revelationof the grace of God.
I think I like them because I feel like one of them, just another swindler and a liar, save for the grace of God. For I too have received the election of grace in Christ Jesus. This is the point. The election of God is always an election of grace. It was not because there was something good that Jacob had done that God chose him. As you discover about the heritage of Jacob, remember that God has chosen you also, but it is only by grace through faith, not by your own good works. Faith is your heart's response to the grace of God.
I shall attempt to list to you some of the blessings of the Heritage of Jacob that you can immediately calinm and start enjoying now. We shall also see God's ultimate blessing intended for both Jews and Gentiles alike. You see , according to the Old Testament and New Testament you are either a Jew or a Gentile. the goodnews is that both are covered in the Heritage of Jacob. (Part one is coming soon).

Isaiah 58 1-14

1 "Cry aloud, don't spare, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their disobedience, and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness, and didn't forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. 3 'Why have we fasted,' say they,'and you don't see? why have we afflicted our soul, and you take no knowledge?' "Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labors.
4 Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness: you don't fast this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Yahweh?
6 "Isn't this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
7 Isn't it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth speedily; and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and Yahweh will answer; you shall cry, and he will say,'Here I am.' "If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly;
10 and if you draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then your light shall rise in darkness, and your obscurity be as the noonday;
11 and Yahweh will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make strong your bones; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don't fail.
12 Those who shall be of you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of Yahweh honorable; and shall honor it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words:
14 then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh; and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father:" for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.