Led by the Commanding Officer Billy Cowgill
Bible Fellowship and Prayer Meeting meet every Wednesday morning in the Community Hall in Walter Street at 10.30
The Bible Fellowship is a lively, topical discussion group that brings the Bible to life and it’s relevance to our everyday lives. It is open to all who want to find out more about the Christian faith and how they can grow Spiritually. Why not come and join us? everyone invited - the more the better. God bless - Billy
Typical example of a Bible fellowship
Tuesday 19 September 2017
Tonight I thought it would be good to look at what we mean by Sunday - the relevance of the day - the reason why I believe we should respect Sunday as the Lords day. In the bible, the 7th day was called the SABBATH The first mention of the Sabbath in Gods word is in Genesis 2; Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. The Lords day - On the seventh day He rested
Exodus 16; 23 Then he ( Moses) said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. Today - shop on Saturday in preperation for Sunday
The commandment Exodus 20; 8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Moses reminded them again in Deuteronomy 5; 25
The Sabbath Law Exodus 31; 12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
So is this a rule only for the Jews? that’s what many say today, How then do they explain Isaiah 56
Salvation for the Gentiles 56 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants--Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant--Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him. Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
Isaiah 58; 13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath delight, the holy day of the Lord honourable, and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Jeremiah 17; 21 Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
Lets look at what it says in the New Testament
In Matthew 12; we see the Pharissees accusing Jesus of healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. Jesus puts them straight when He says v 12 it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Jesus makes the same point in Luke 13;10 Now He ( Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath and behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity” and He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Sabbath - Sunday - a day we can set apart to enjoy fellowship with other Christians - a day of rest and peace - a day to be family and do family things. A day off work.
Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath Luke 4;16 So 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 to read. and Mark 2; 27,28 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
The ressurection took place on the first day of the week Matt 28;1 and the day on which Christ arose was called ‘the Lords Day’ Rev 1;10
To quote Jack Hayford -‘The Sabbath is the means by which man’s living pattern imitates God’s manifest pattern for life Exodus 20; 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
As we have seen, Jesus, like the Old Testament prophets kept the Sabbath Himself ( Luke 4;16) but He condemned the pharisaic attitude that missed the deep spiritual truth behind Sabbath observance 9 Matt 12;14, Mark 2;23, Luke 6;1-11 and John 5;1-18)
I believe that Observing the Sabbath as the Lords Holy Day is something that the church, the body of Christ should adhere to today. It’s about the exercising of your own free will. If the government makes it impossible for you to observe it by allowing businesses to function of the Sabbath meaning the employees are bound by the companies rules - then you can’t blame man for that. And I don’t believe that God will hold man accountable for that.
I personally think that it was a good Idea for the nation to adopt Sunday as the Lords Holy Day and to ban work, shops etc
I look back and miss the Sundays of my youth when there was no work on that day and most people went to church. It was a better world then - a safer world where people cared about one another. What do you think?
Tonight I thought it would be good to look at what we mean by Sunday - the relevance of the day - the reason why I believe we should respect Sunday as the Lords day. In the bible, the 7th day was called the SABBATH The first mention of the Sabbath in Gods word is in Genesis 2; Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. The Lords day - On the seventh day He rested
Exodus 16; 23 Then he ( Moses) said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. Today - shop on Saturday in preperation for Sunday
The commandment Exodus 20; 8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Moses reminded them again in Deuteronomy 5; 25
The Sabbath Law Exodus 31; 12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
So is this a rule only for the Jews? that’s what many say today, How then do they explain Isaiah 56
Salvation for the Gentiles 56 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants--Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant--Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him. Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
Isaiah 58; 13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath delight, the holy day of the Lord honourable, and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Jeremiah 17; 21 Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
Lets look at what it says in the New Testament
In Matthew 12; we see the Pharissees accusing Jesus of healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. Jesus puts them straight when He says v 12 it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Jesus makes the same point in Luke 13;10 Now He ( Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath and behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity” and He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Sabbath - Sunday - a day we can set apart to enjoy fellowship with other Christians - a day of rest and peace - a day to be family and do family things. A day off work.
Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath Luke 4;16 So 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 to read. and Mark 2; 27,28 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
The ressurection took place on the first day of the week Matt 28;1 and the day on which Christ arose was called ‘the Lords Day’ Rev 1;10
To quote Jack Hayford -‘The Sabbath is the means by which man’s living pattern imitates God’s manifest pattern for life Exodus 20; 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
As we have seen, Jesus, like the Old Testament prophets kept the Sabbath Himself ( Luke 4;16) but He condemned the pharisaic attitude that missed the deep spiritual truth behind Sabbath observance 9 Matt 12;14, Mark 2;23, Luke 6;1-11 and John 5;1-18)
I believe that Observing the Sabbath as the Lords Holy Day is something that the church, the body of Christ should adhere to today. It’s about the exercising of your own free will. If the government makes it impossible for you to observe it by allowing businesses to function of the Sabbath meaning the employees are bound by the companies rules - then you can’t blame man for that. And I don’t believe that God will hold man accountable for that.
I personally think that it was a good Idea for the nation to adopt Sunday as the Lords Holy Day and to ban work, shops etc
I look back and miss the Sundays of my youth when there was no work on that day and most people went to church. It was a better world then - a safer world where people cared about one another. What do you think?