Quote:
Originally Posted by Ex Nihilo  Quote:
Originally Posted by Grace Alone Our pastor was preaching on Joshua 1:10-18 today and the title of the sermon was "Rest: Then, Now, and Forever". He talked about the Sabbath of the OT and the rest in the Promised Land. Then he went on to the rest we have in the completed work of Christ. And we look forward to the ultimate Sabbath rest: Heaven.
What I really grasped from the sermon is that looking for a list of do's and don'ts for the Lord's Day is not the right approach (although I always wanted a list so I could be sure I was following them!). He favors the view that we set aside that day to worship and focus on the Lord and our future rest. I think proper observance of the Lord's Day is 100% heart attitude. Just making a list of all the things you won't do on that day is more like the approach of the Pharisees. But if we set our hearts and mind on our Lord, then we should have no greater desire than to set aside a day where He is the primary focus of our affections. | I agree, but I think that reflecting on what is and is not acceptable helps to test the attitude of the heart. |
Isn't that why we study the Word of God? I don't think however that checklists are good when it comes to Christian living. Here's why.
The law was given to teach us, that is, to train us as to what pleases and does not please the Lord. God gave us His Spirit living within us to be our Teacher so that we no longer need the lists of dos and don'ts. The answer then is to walk in the Spirit, and we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
If we are focusing on the Lord, the obedience (even when it comes to the Sabbath) will become a natural outcome of our love for the Lord. The Spirit of God guides us into what is true. Does it mean we throw out the Scriptures? No, but it means that we turn our focus on the Lord, and oddly enough, we find we are obeying the rules without even thinking about it, because it's what we really want to do.