The purpose of God’s original Sabbath resting was physical REST from hard work. The Roman soldiers nailed the law to the cross. The Old Covenant had to die with Jesus for there to be a New Covenant.
Under the New Covenant, the sabbath rest is none other than faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It is faith that Jesus has COMPLETED all the work necessary for us to come right into the throne room of God without having to obey any requirements of the law written down in the Old Covenant.
And it is also the rest of faith to see the miraculous at work as part of the everyday Christian life. So we can now say that the sabbath rest is simply belief in what Jesus has done, is enough!
Jesus Completed the Work, The Law No Longer Applies, that the Law is Dead.
COLOSSIANS 2:14 HAVING WIPED OUT THE HANDWRITING OF REQUIREMENTS THAT WAS AGAINST US, WHICH WAS CONTRARY TO US. AND HE HAS TAKEN IT OUT OF THE WAY, HAVING NAILED IT TO THE CROSS.
Satan was Cast Out of Heaven.
REVELATION 12:7-8 AND WAR BROKE OUT IN HEAVEN: MICHAEL AND HIS ANGELS FOUGHT WITH THE DRAGON; AND THE DRAGON AND HIS ANGELS FOUGHT, BUT THEY DID NOT PREVAIL, NOR WAS A PLACE FOUND FOR THEM IN HEAVEN ANY LONGER.
Principalities and Powers Fell. In the next verse, when Jesus nailed the law to the cross, all the principalities and powers empowering the law fell.
COLOSSIANS 2:15 HAVING DISARMED PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, HE MADE A PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF THEM, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM IN IT.
The devil, his principalities, and powers, were kicked out of heaven and fell to earth. So now, one of Satan’s schemes is to persuade you to follow the law and its feasts. And if they succeed, it will empower the principalities and powers over you again.
REVELATION 12:7-8 AND WAR BROKE OUT IN HEAVEN: MICHAEL AND HIS ANGELS FOUGHT WITH THE DRAGON; AND THE DRAGON AND HIS ANGELS FOUGHT, BUT THEY DID NOT PREVAIL, NOR WAS A PLACE FOUND FOR THEM IN HEAVEN ANY LONGER.
The Feasts and Sabbaths were A Shadow of Things to Come in Christ
COLOSSIANS 2:16-17 SO LET NO ONE JUDGE YOU IN FOOD OR IN DRINK, OR REGARDING A FESTIVAL OR A NEW MOON OR SABBATHS, WHICH ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, BUT THE SUBSTANCE IS OF CHRIST
Let No one Judge You.
When writing Colossians, the church was transitioning from Judaism to Christianity, and the leaders were asking questions like ‘should we be circumcised?
And therefore, it was necessary to maintain unity instead of ‘being right’. While the church walked through the issues dividing them, Paul told them not to judge people when they thought differently from themselves.
We can apply this principle of not judging others in our present-day lives. It is better for us to maintain unity in the body of Christ by extending grace to others who may need time to receive revelation from the word of God. Or it may be that we ourselves need revelation to see the truth when we are in error!
There is Liberty in Jesus. There are still people who have not realized the liberty that is in Jesus. They think that they must observe Saturday as the Sabbath.
Although this is not theologically correct, we need to extend grace to people who do not believe the same as us.
COLOSSIANS 2:17 WHICH ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, BUT THE SUBSTANCE IS OF CHRIST.
The words IS OF cannot be found in Greek. So, it would be written:
COLOSSIANS 2:16 WHICH ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, BUT THE SUBSTANCE: CHRIST.
The word substance is sōma; from 4982; which should be translated as body.
COLOSSIANS 2:16 SO LET NO ONE JUDGE YOU IN FOOD OR IN DRINK, OR REGARDING A FESTIVAL OR A NEW MOON OR SABBATHS, WHICH WERE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME, BUT THESE THINGS ARE FOUND BODILY IN CHRIST.
Jesus Said “I Came to Fulfil the Law”: When Jesus fulfilled the law, he released us from having to fulfil any law requirements. Now our rest is the ‘rest of faith’.
MATTHEW 5:17 “DO NOT THINK THAT I CAME TO DESTROY THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS. I DID NOT COME TO DESTROY BUT TO FULFIL
We are Not to Observe Sabbaths or Feasts, in a legal sense.
So, You Desire Again to be in Bondage? Paul teaches us that we go back into bondage when we observe days, feasts, jubilee years:
GALATIANS 4:9-11 BUT NOW AFTER YOU HAVE KNOWN GOD, OR RATHER ARE KNOWN BY GOD, HOW IS IT THAT YOU TURN AGAIN TO THE WEAK AND BEGGARLY ELEMENTS, TO WHICH YOU DESIRE AGAIN TO BE IN BONDAGE? YOU OBSERVE DAYS AND MONTHS AND SEASONS AND YEARS. I AM AFRAID FOR YOU, LEST I HAVE LABOURED FOR YOU IN VAIN.
In Galatians, referring to those who wanted to try and keep the law, Paul had this to say:
GALATIANS 5:11-12 BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IF I AM STILL PREACHING CIRCUMCISION, WHY AM I STILL BEING PERSECUTED? IN THAT CASE THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS HAS BEEN ABOLISHED. AS FOR THOSE AGITATORS, I WISH THEY WOULD GO THE WHOLE WAY AND EMASCULATE THEMSELVES!
When We Do these Things We Come Under a Spirit of Bondage! And we as sons and daughters of God are not meant to be under this bondage!
ROMANS 8:15 FOR YOU DID NOT RECEIVE THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE AGAIN TO FEAR, BUT YOU RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION BY WHOM WE CRY OUT, “ABBA, FATHER.”
What did Jesus teach concerning the Sabbath?
Jesus Did Not Obey the Jewish Laws Pertaining to the Sabbath. Still entrenched in their belief that obeying the law was the only way to please God, the Jewish leaders kept all the Sabbath requirements. After all, it was one of the 10 Commandments! Therefore, Jesus challenged them on the fact that they can never enter into the sabbath rest whilst trying to fulfil it through obeying the law.
MARK 2:23-24 NOW IT HAPPENED THAT HE WENT THROUGH THE GRAINFIELDS ON THE SABBATH; AND AS THEY WENT HIS DISCIPLES BEGAN TO PLUCK THE HEADS OF GRAIN. AND THE PHARISEES SAID TO HIM, “LOOK, WHY DO THEY DO WHAT IS NOT LAWFUL ON THE SABBATH? “BUT HE SAID TO THEM, “HAVE YOU NEVER READ WHAT DAVID DID WHEN HE WAS IN NEED AND HUNGRY, HE AND THOSE WITH HIM: AND HE SAID TO THEM, “THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN, AND NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH.
In this scripture, Jesus was doing ministry work on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders had made so many by-laws about the sabbath that made it impossible to enjoy the day of rest.
Jesus Healed on the Sabbath.
MATTHEW 12:9-13 (MARK 3:1–6; LUKE 6:6–11) NOW WHEN HE HAD DEPARTED FROM THERE, HE WENT INTO THEIR SYNAGOGUE. AND BEHOLD, THERE WAS A MAN WHO HAD A WITHERED HAND. AND THEY ASKED HIM, SAYING, “IS IT LAWFUL TO HEAL ON THE SABBATH?”—THAT THEY MIGHT ACCUSE HIM THEN HE SAID TO THEM, “WHAT MAN IS THERE AMONG YOU WHO HAS ONE SHEEP, AND IF IT FALLS INTO A PIT ON THE SABBATH, WILL NOT LAY HOLD OF IT AND LIFT IT OUT? OF HOW MUCH MORE VALUE THEN IS A MAN THAN A SHEEP? THEREFORE IT IS LAWFUL TO DO GOOD ON THE SABBATH.” THEN HE SAID TO THE MAN, “STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND.” AND HE STRETCHED IT OUT, AND IT WAS RESTORED AS WHOLE AS THE OTHER.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath Both as the Son of God AND as the Son of Man.
MARK 2:28 THEREFORE THE SON OF MAN IS ALSO LORD OF THE SABBATH.”
It is for Our Benefit that God Made the Sabbath.
Jesus was able to fulfil the Sabbath rest once he had nailed the law with all its requirements to the cross and rose from the dead.
It was always God’s intention to have sons and daughters who would be holy and blameless in His sight. God’s desire for us as sons and daughters, is to be able to REST in His Presence. Therefore, the sabbath rest is meant to be for our benefit!
MARK 2:27 AND HE SAID TO THEM, “THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN, AND NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH.
It is not to be an unbreakable law, that is why Jesus as the son of man was able to break it. Jesus Loosed us from the Sabbath.
JOHN 5:18 THEREFORE THE JEWS SOUGHT ALL THE MORE TO KILL HIM, BECAUSE HE NOT ONLY BROKE THE SABBATH, BUT ALSO SAID THAT GOD WAS HIS FATHER, MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD
The word Broke here in Greek is: lyo; a primary verb; to “loosen” (literally or figuratively): — break (up), destroy, dissolve.
Jesus has simply loosed us from the Sabbath requirements. Some have mistakenly interpreted Jesus did not, therefore, break the sabbath. However, this word is even more potent than broke or break. This word lyo is also used by Jesus when He said this:
JOHN 2:19 JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID TO THEM, “DESTROY THIS TEMPLE, AND IN THREE DAYS I WILL RAISE IT UP.”
Firstly, Jesus did not say that He would destroy the Temple. He said they would destroy the Temple, which is what happened. The Jews started a war with the Romans, so the Romans came in and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD. When the law was nailed to the cross, Jesus released (loosed) the Temple. It self-destructed because it was not the purpose of God: His purpose was they we become the temple.
Jesus frees us from the sabbath of the law into sabbath rest.
What was the ‘Natural’ Purpose of the Sabbath?
Physical and Emotional REST!
GENESIS 2:2 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
This Sabbath Rest is Blessed and Sanctified.
GENESIS 2:3 THEN GOD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT, BECAUSE IN IT HE RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK WHICH GOD HAD CREATED AND MADE.
Like the Blessing of Abraham Still Applies to us Today, so does the Blessing of the Sabbath Rest.
GALATIANS 3:17 AND THIS I SAY, THAT THE LAW, WHICH WAS FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS LATER, CANNOT ANNUL THE COVENANT THAT WAS CONFIRMED BEFORE BY GOD IN CHRIST, THAT IT SHOULD MAKE THE PROMISE OF NO EFFECT.
Both the Abrahamic Covenant and the Sabbath rest existed before the law came into being. Therefore the action of resting our physical bodies still applies. Some of us find it difficult to physically rest when we have too much work to do. The stressful work load of a particular job description, or the constant daily work-load of raising children and keeping house and holding a job outside of the home, can be physically and emotionally draining. We need to learn to take time out to rest our physical body, including our mind. Now let’s look at the spiritual application:
The Sabbath Fulfilment is in Christ
Faith is Rest. People often make things more complex than they are- JUST BELIEVE. Principalities and powers compel us to make it more difficult than it is to please God.
HEBREWS 4:3-4 FOR WE WHO HAVE BELIEVED DO ENTER THAT REST, AS HE HAS SAID: “SO I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,'” ALTHOUGH THE WORKS WERE FINISHED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. FOR HE HAS SPOKEN IN A CERTAIN PLACE OF THE SEVENTH DAY IN THIS WAY: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”;
HEBREWS 10:38 NOW THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; BUT IF ANYONE DRAWS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.”
God’s Six Days of Creation were not Hard Work. Jesus, the Word, just spoke it into being. Note the lack of work in the word LET. Let is a passive word.
GENESIS 1:3 THEN GOD SAID, “LET THERE BE LIGHT”; AND THERE WAS LIGHT.
Faith is the Work.
JOHN 6:29 JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID TO THEM, “THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YOU BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE SENT.”
Also, Genesis 1:6,9,11,14,15,20,22,24,26 all use the word Let
The Summary of Sabbath Rest
Physical rest is blessed and sanctified.
Sabbath is part of the law and therefore was nailed to the cross.
We have been loosed from the law of the Sabbath into the realized Sabbath rest.
Jesus disobeyed the Sabbath in the eyes of the religious leaders.
The Sabbath was made for man.
The Sabbath was not fulfilled until Jesus came.
Sabbath rest is the rest of faith.