Jesus Revealed in Doctrine CHANGING THE SABBATH
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. Eze. 20:12.
"As the Jews departed from God, and failed to make the righteousness of Christ their own by faith, the Sabbath lost its significance to them."--The Desire of Ages, p. 283. Is it possible today that the significance of the Sabbath to you right now is meaningful for you in proportion to your experience of righteousness by faith? "In order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. Through faith they must become partakers of the righteousness of Christ."--Ibid. The Sabbath was a token of separation from idolatry, which includes self-worship. Self-worship is the idea that we can save ourselves. When I pull away from idolatry, I am pulling away from the idea that I can save myself, and trusting only in the righteousness of Jesus. That's what the Sabbath represents.
The Sabbath is a symbol of our connection with God. If you are having trouble with the Sabbath, and are questioning its importance, you have deeper trouble somewhere else. If you find that the Sabbath is a drag, and are tired of the routine, and waiting impatiently for the sun to set, your trouble is not with the Sabbath but is far deeper than that. Your problem has to do with your relationship with the Lord Himself. Sometimes we sit around judging some prelate over in Italy who had the audacity to change the Sabbath. But if you have pulled away from a deep dependence upon Jesus Christ as your personal friend and Saviour, and you don't know Him today, then you yourself have changed the Sabbath, too. Long before the Sabbath was changed by Constantine and the council, it had already been changed experientially in the hearts of the people. And when it is changed experientially in the hearts of the people, it is only a matter of time until it can be changed on the calendar as well. There is a close connection.
If you have trouble today with the Sabbath being a formal routine, may I suggest that instead of leaving the church you change the Sabbath back into what God intended it in the first place. This is done by turning to Jesus Christ as your Creator, toward Jesus as your Redeemer, and toward Him as your Sanctifier, in a daily, close connection with Him
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. Eze. 20:12.
"As the Jews departed from God, and failed to make the righteousness of Christ their own by faith, the Sabbath lost its significance to them."--The Desire of Ages, p. 283. Is it possible today that the significance of the Sabbath to you right now is meaningful for you in proportion to your experience of righteousness by faith? "In order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. Through faith they must become partakers of the righteousness of Christ."--Ibid. The Sabbath was a token of separation from idolatry, which includes self-worship. Self-worship is the idea that we can save ourselves. When I pull away from idolatry, I am pulling away from the idea that I can save myself, and trusting only in the righteousness of Jesus. That's what the Sabbath represents.
The Sabbath is a symbol of our connection with God. If you are having trouble with the Sabbath, and are questioning its importance, you have deeper trouble somewhere else. If you find that the Sabbath is a drag, and are tired of the routine, and waiting impatiently for the sun to set, your trouble is not with the Sabbath but is far deeper than that. Your problem has to do with your relationship with the Lord Himself. Sometimes we sit around judging some prelate over in Italy who had the audacity to change the Sabbath. But if you have pulled away from a deep dependence upon Jesus Christ as your personal friend and Saviour, and you don't know Him today, then you yourself have changed the Sabbath, too. Long before the Sabbath was changed by Constantine and the council, it had already been changed experientially in the hearts of the people. And when it is changed experientially in the hearts of the people, it is only a matter of time until it can be changed on the calendar as well. There is a close connection.
If you have trouble today with the Sabbath being a formal routine, may I suggest that instead of leaving the church you change the Sabbath back into what God intended it in the first place. This is done by turning to Jesus Christ as your Creator, toward Jesus as your Redeemer, and toward Him as your Sanctifier, in a daily, close connection with Him
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