service genset jogja
Exodus 20:11, Genesis 2:2-3, Romans 3:23, Psalms 53:2-3, Isaiah 53:6, Hebrews 4:9-10

Jesus is the Sabbath

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 6, 2019

The final verse dealing with the fourth commandment to remember to keep the Sabbath day holy concludes, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” This was very familiar to the Jews, as it should be familiar to us, because it’s a recasting of the conclusion of the Genesis creation account. Genesis 2:2-3 records, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” The word for Sabbath has taken on two distinct meanings, both of which are seen in these passages. First it simply means “seven.” And secondly, it means “rest.” Rest is actually the primary use of the word “Shabbat” in Israel today. The standard greeting in Israel on the Sabbath day is “Shabbat shalom.” Rest and peace to you!

My mother used to say when I got in trouble, “there is no rest for the wicked.” That didn’t scare me too much but as I matured it began to make sense. The guilty have no peace of mind, no rest. And for sinners there is no rest or peace to be found in the Law! All have broken it! The Bible is extremely clear on this as was Jesus’ ministry to the religious leaders who thought they were keeping the law. Romans 3:23 is clear on this issue, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But Paul just takes truths from the Old Testament when he says this. Psalm 53:2-3 says, “God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Yet Jesus calls to us sinners saying, “come to me all who are burdened down with falls and failures, wounds and worries, griefs and regrets and I’ll give you true rest for your souls” (See Matthew 11:28). Hundreds of years before Jesus made this call, Isaiah the Prophet explained it to us. He writes in 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” When the author of Hebrews talks about entering “His” rest, he is referring to Jesus’ rest into which He calls us. But notice that he compares it to the Sabbath rest of Exodus 20:8-11. In Hebrews 4:9-10 he writes, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” The only real “rest” from our works (self-efforts) is to be found in Jesus. He is our Sabbath.

Tags: , , , , ,
Permalink
Exodus 20:11, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Philippians 2:10, Galatians 6:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17

God Did All the Work!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 5, 2019

Why does God call for “No Work” on the Sabbath? Because He did all the work! That explanation is seen in Exodus 20:11. It reads, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” It could be rendered “sky, earth, seas.” That was the ancient way of saying “everything.” Just as the Hebrews used the three word phrase, “Law, Prophets, and Writings” to refer to the entirety of the Old Testament, so too is the phrase “sky (heavens), earth, seas” used to refer to everything above the earth, on the earth, and under the earth! But it wasn’t enough for God to express the three major categories in the world; sky, earth, seas. He also mentioned that part of His work was creating all the life in all three categories. He made the birds of the sky, the animals on the earth, and the fish in the seas! That’s the work that matters and that’s the work that must be “remembered” on the Sabbath.

Let’s think about this from our Christian perspective. Who made everything? Who did the work that should be “remembered” and kept holy? John made it clear to us that it was Jesus.  John begins his gospel with “in the beginning” referring to the Genesis creation account and He writes, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). Paul clearly agrees with John and focuses more attention on the creative work of Jesus in Colossians 1:16. He says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities…” It’s pretty clear who the New Testament credits with the work on the six days of creation. It was Jesus! And it’s that reason that, as Paul writes in Philippians 2:10, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Please notice the thoroughness of the three categories: heaven, earth, and under the earth!

Paul says that once we come to faith in Christ we are “new creations.” He says this twice: Galatians 6:15 says, “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” Then He says it again in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” The Galatians passage directly refutes those trying to enforce the elements of the Law on Christians, especially regarding circumcision. Paul is making it clear that it’s not religious legalism, or strict adherence to laws, regulations, or rituals that matters. It’s the work that Jesus accomplished for us. The work of creation “in the beginning” was His. The work of our salvation in each of our lives is His! Remember to keep the Sabbath holy by focusing on the work He accomplished on our behalf and not the work we do in the flesh.

Tags: , , , , ,
Permalink
Exodus 20:9-10, Ephesians 8-9

Defiling the Lord’s Day

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 4, 2019

The middle verses explaining the 4th commandment, Exodus 20:9-10, say, “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.” Just as an interesting observation here, the Hebrew word “Sabbath” is also the world for “seven.” That comes from the creation account that the day God rested was the seventh day. There might be something to the fact that Moses lists exactly seven things or people that should not work: 1) you, 2) your son, 3) your daughter, 4) your male servant, 5) your female servant, 6) your livestock, and 7) sojourners. This was a common literary device used to aid in memorization. No one had their own copies back in those days and this served their memories. This was probably even more important here because the commandment in verse 8 begins with “remember the Sabbath.” Matthew uses a similar device recording Jesus’ genealogy (a discussion for another time).

It seems to me that God desires all the hustle and bustle in and around us to just stop for the day! You have six days to live in the world of sowing and reaping, meeting deadlines and expectations of employers, teachers, parents and everyone else in the world. Let that be enough and step off the treadmill for a day and focus your attention on the work that God has done for you.  Don’t ask anyone around you to do work either! We don’t make the Sabbath Holy by not doing any work, though. The Sabbath is already Holy because God “ceased” all His work on that day in the creation account. It’s already Holy! We can “keep it holy” by resting in the finished work of God.

We can’t make the Sabbath Holy, but we can defile it. We do that by doing those things that we should do on the other six days. “Six days you shall Labor and do all your work.” That too is a command. Do your work on those six days and then take the Sabbath rest to reflect on the greatness, fullness, and completeness of God’s work. When our “works” become the focus on our Sabbath day, we defile the Sabbath day. It’s no longer “Holy” for us if our attention is upon trying harder in life to be a better person, or doing more good deeds, or giving more for good causes, or on anything that we “do” as opposed to what God has done for us. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, it’s not of works lest any man should boast. It is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Tags: ,
Permalink
Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 6:1-2, Mark 2:27

Do No Work!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 4, 2019

During our various trips to Israel, we had the opportunity to observe the Jewish people observing the Sabbath day. As in the days of Jesus, the religious leaders today have set some clear standards on what could and what could not be done on that day. The elevators at our hotels were set to stop at each floor on the Sabbath because pushing buttons in an elevator was considered work. The Rabbis would run string along the telephone poles to show the limits that citizens could walk on the Sabbath. Guzik observes in his commentary, “In observant Jewish homes today, one cannot turn on a light, a stove, or a switch on the Sabbath. It is forbidden to drive a certain distance or to make a telephone call—all carefully regulated by traditions seeking to spell out the law exactly.”

It was worse in Jesus day. From what I read, ancient Rabbis taught that on the Sabbath, a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder. But he could carry something with the back of his hand, his foot, his elbow, or in his ear, his hair, or in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. Or on the Sabbath, Israelites were forbidden to tie a knot—except, a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So, if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, an Israelite could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and pull it up from the well. In Luke 6:1-2, Jesus disciples’ were accused of breaking the Sabbath because they were picking and eating corn out of a field. They broke four different rules: they reaped, threshed, winnowed, and prepared food! Can’t do that!

All of these specifications made man a slave to the Sabbath. Jesus intentionally went against these traditions in order to set man free. In Mark 2:27, amidst one of his disputes with the religious leaders, Jesus explained “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” He continues in that verse and says, “The son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” During the course of his life on earth, Jesus broke the Sabbath rules numerous times. He clearly wanted us to understand that it’s not about rules and regulations. It’s about realizing that God is sovereign over the works of man’s hands. The commandment goes on to say we shouldn’t work on the Sabbath to commemorate the fact that God’s work is what really matters. This is true for Christians today more than ever. Jesus did the work of our salvation. There’s nothing our hands can contribute to that. Stop all the business of life in this world of sowing and reaping and “rest” (that’s the meaning of the word “Shabbat”) in the work that God has done for you.

Tags: , ,
Permalink
Exodus 20:8

Keep the Sabbath Holy

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 3, 2019

Exodus 20:8 says “Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy.” What does it mean to be “Holy?” It means to consecrate it, or to set it apart as special. So it may be expressed as “dedicated to God” or “belonging to God.” If you ask “what does it mean to be Holy” in Google, you’ll find this list of synonyms: sacred, consecrated, hallowed, sanctified, venerated, revered, reverenced, divine, religious, blessed, blest, dedicated.” But the key biblical idea of “Holy” is that it’s set apart. It’s different than anything else.

There was one special thing to the Jews that was exceptionally holy. It was holy, or different, from anything else in their life. That was the Tabernacle and later the Temple. When you read the description of the tabernacle in Exodus, you find that it’s built from the most luxurious and beautiful materials imaginable. Only precious metals: gold, silver, copper, brass. It had glorious colors: red, scarlet, purple, blues and yellows. It had incredibly creative images. There were angels sown into the curtains. There were bronze and gold and silver candle sticks and lavers and chalices. There were jewels and gems embedded throughout the ornate objects. And there was one other thing that truly made a difference in the Tabernacle. There was a smell. Yes, only the tabernacle could burn this special incense. Everything about the place where God was, was holy or different from everything else in life. In the drab world of the desert this was a place that looked different, felt different, and smelled different. It was holy! I really like what Ashby said in his commentary on this passage. He wrote, “Someone has called the Sabbath a ‘holy space, a sanctuary in time.’ It was as holy as the Temple, which was a sanctuary in space. Just as a holy place provides a space for celebrating God and praising him, so does a holy time.”

In the Old Testament economy, there was one day in seven that was to be dedicated to the Lord. It was a day when they were to remind themselves that they were not self-originating, self-sustaining, or self-authenticating. The idea of setting aside time to remind ourselves that God has done everything for us is crucial to a happy, wholesome, and healthy life. In our economy, that should be the Lord’s day, Sunday. We have six days to live in a world of sowing and reaping. We have six days to bear the burdens of life. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy. It’s not about what we’ve done, are doing, or will do! It’s all about what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do!

Tags:
Permalink
Luke 24, John 5, Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 22:19

Remember the Sabbath: Think about it!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 3, 2019

Jesus revealed to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus that the Law and the Prophets were all about Him (See Luke 24). Jesus told the religious leaders that they search the scriptures because they think they find in them eternal life, but it is the scriptures that teach them about him (see John 5).  Let’s look at the Law.

In Exodus 20, God gives Moses the ten commandments. You know them or you know of them. The fourth commandment is the most thoroughly discussed. Whereas adultery, murder, stealing, and lying are some of the shortest single verses in the Bible, the 4th commandment covers 4 long verses; Exodus 20:8-11. It goes like this: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The first word in this commandment is “remember.” I forget a lot of things! It is getting worse the older I get. Kathy will often remind me of the things I need to do. I’ve taken over some of the cooking during the week and have really enjoyed doing that but I have to remember to take frozen foods I intend to cook out of the freezer early in the day. Just this morning Kathy said, “take out the chicken.”  I said, “I will.” She said, “do it now because if you don’t, you’ll forget it.” As much as I hate it when she’s right, she is right. I will get busy doing any number of other things and the next thing you know it’s 5:30 and the chicken is still in the freezer! So, I did it right away. You only tell people to remember something when there is a tendency to forget.

The passage goes on to tell us that we have six days to do all of our work. The “Sabbath” is one day in seven! It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day life of making a living, meeting expectations of others, taking care of ourselves and others, and a plethora of other things, that when we come to the Sabbath, it’s really easy to forget what it’s all about! It’s not about all that I do! It’s about what God has done. Step aside from your focus on doing for yourselves and focus on what has been done for you. Just as God did all the work of giving us the world and everything in it, Jesus did all the work required to save our souls for all eternity. Isn’t this why Jesus took the bread and the cup and said “do this in remembrance of me” (See Luke 22:19). Think about it.

Tags: , ,
Permalink
I Timothy 6:17, Psalm 63:3, Galatians 2:20, Eph 3:17

Because we are loved

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 3, 2019

I really do enjoy life. I enjoyed the coffee in the morning, the early lunches, the evening entertainment, playing games with my grandsons, and just about every other thing in my life. I like to fish, drive my corvette, sit with friends over coffee, casually working on my stamp collection, and yes, even playing Fallout4 on my Xbox1. I’m learning to relax in retirement and enjoy the freedom each morning of being able to do whatever I want (for the most part!). Yes, we really do enjoy our lives. That’s what God intended. In one of his letters to Timothy, Paul exhorted this young man to relax and enjoy life. He tells him to trust God “Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (Amplified Bible 1 Timothy 6:17). I know there are some perverted exceptions but the standard norm is that we all  love our lives and cling to them. We’d rather give up our money or any other possessions to thieves in order to save our lives. I read of a farmer recently who cut off a leg in order to save his life. We will submit our bodies to treacherous medical procedures to extend our lives for even one month. The truth is, we love our lives and will do almost anything to sustain them. It’s interesting as James Montgomery Boice observed, “Satan used this truth to slander righteous Job: ‘Skin for skin! A man will give all he has for his own life’ (Job 2:4). For nearly everyone, life is the most precious of all possessions.”[1]

Yet the Psalmist David exclaims in Psalm 63:3, God’s “steadfast love is better than life.” The sad thing about all the wonderful blessings in life that we enjoy so much is that none of them can truly touch our being, our souls. They provide temporary relief from the pain in the world. They offer momentary physical pleasures. They bring partial satisfaction to our search for meaning. They serve to pass the time for us. But they never touch us where we need it most. Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria that earthly water will only satisfy for a short time. But He then says, “if you knew who it is that is speaking with you, you’d ask him for the Living water from which you will only need to drink once and be fully satisfied.” (John 4).

The steadfast love of God is the living water. It quenches our soul’s thirst for all time. Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they would “sink their roots down deep into God’s love” (Ephesians 3:17). He went on to explain that this is how we produce good fruit in our lives. Actually, Christ produces the fruit through us. That’s how Paul could say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

[1] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 519.

Tags: , , ,
Permalink
Psalm 63:1-4, Matthew 11:28

Rest for the Soul. Think about it!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 31, 2019

If it’s true that God’s “steadfast love is better than life” as the Psalmist David claims in Psalm 63:3, isn’t it interesting that we spend so much more time on things of life than on pondering and meditating on God’s steadfast love. I’m thinking about our spiritual lives not our normal day to day lives.  We all live in the world of “sowing and reaping” and we must make a living. But our spiritual lives get swallowed up by the “sowing and reaping” world of our physical lives and we live as if God is our employer who tries to get the best performance out of us, or a policeman hiding behind a billboard to catch us doing something wrong, or a teacher trying to motivate us to try harder. We act as if, even if we don’t think it, our spiritual lives are determined by our own efforts. In other worlds, there doesn’t seem to be any difference between our spiritual lives and our lives in the flesh.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said “Come to me all you who are weary and burned out on religion, I’ll give you rest for your souls.” (Check out the Message translation.) Religion gives us all a way to better ourselves. There are laws to keep, duties to perform, and rituals to observe. But those things are all part of the world of sowing and reaping. The Eastern world religions refer to this as Karma. You get what you deserve either in this life or in the next. I’m suggesting that Jesus calls us to leave the religious life and enter into the life that trusts in Him. We’ve all sinned. Yes, we’ve all made our own beds, but Jesus came to earth to sleep in them for us. If we continue to subscribe to either western or eastern Karma, we will never experience rest for our souls. We will spend eternity in the world of sowing and reaping. There will be no escaping our failures. But it’s while in the world of sowing and reaping, Jesus calls to us: “Come to me,” He says, “I’ll give you rest for your souls.” This is why believing in Jesus is not just another religion. He satisfies all the laws, duties, and rituals on our behalf. Don’t you want to sit down for a minute with Jesus and rest?

I hunger for that! My Dad used to say that he wants nothing more than peace of mind. That’s just another way of saying “rest for your souls.” In the first verse of this Psalm, David talks about how much he wants to experience God’s love. He writes, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you.” There are many other Psalms which contain the same idea. Consider one of the most famous Psalm passages, Psalm 42:1-2, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Nothing in this world satisfies our souls. We have good times, pleasure, prestige, positions, and lots of possessions, but none of them touch the deepest part of our being. It’s to people like us that Jesus says, “come to me…” Think about it!

Tags: ,
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.