WalterandDebbie
Sabbath Overseer
Friday 2-9-24 6th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Shevat 28 5784, 51st. Winter Day
Sub-title /What Jesus Said about God’s Law
By The Deceased William F. Dankenbring/ Title A New Look at the SABBATH
Is God's Sabbath Abolished with the Old Covenant? Or an Eternal Command of God, Still in Force Today?
Jesus Christ taught His disciples for three years, carefully, intimately, the truth of God. Did He ever once imply or state that the Sabbath day was “done away” or “abolished”? Did He imply that His crucifixion would “abolish” the laws of God and the Sabbath command?
What did Jesus Himself teach?
Notice the very words of the Saviour Himself!
"Do NOT think that I have come to ABOLISH THE LAW or the Prophets; I have
not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, UNTIL HEAVEN
AND EARTH DISAPPEAR, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will
BY ANY MEANS DISAPPEAR FROM THE LAW until everything is accomplished"
Matt.5:17-18).
Is the earth still here, today? Can you still see the stars twinkling in beauty at night? If so, then the LAW OF GOD IS STILL IN FORCE! So said your Saviour! Jesus did not come to abolish the laws of God -- but to "fulfill" them, that is, to "fill them full," to teach their fullest
meaning and significance, to MAGNIFY them! Not even the smallest letter of God’s Law is done away -- Jesus HIMSELF said so!
Whom will you believe? Ministers, clergymen, priests, or church leaders who have STRAYED from the truth? Or the very words of Christ, the Messiah, Himself? Whom do you believe -- mere men? Or the Messiah?
Isaiah foretold of the Christ, "It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to MAKE HIS LAW GREAT AND GLORIOUS" (Isa.42:21). Done away with? Not on your life! Abolished? Don't you bet on it! Rather, Christ came to MAGNIFY the law, and make it GREAT and GLORIOUS! He came to teach it IN SPIRIT, as well as in the letter! Read all of Matthew 5, and you will see how Jesus did not abolish the law of God, but STRENGTHENED it, and showed how it applies in spirit, mind, and attitude, and not just in the outward "letter"!
Did Jesus come to "loosen" the law, and make it less binding? Notice! Jesus told His disciples, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt.5:20). That sounds pretty plain, doesn't it?
Later on during Jesus' ministry a rich young ruler came to Him, asking Him, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" (Matt.l9:16). Now here was Jesus' perfect opportunity. Why, if some modern churches are right, here was where He should have said, "Why my dear young man, don't you know there is NOTHING you must 'do' at all? You can't get eternal life by good works! The Sabbath is done away; all you have to do is just 'believe' on me!"
But is that what Jesus Christ said to this young man's direct question?
Notice! Jesus replied, "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS" (verse 17).
The young man asked, "Which ones?"
Jesus then explained which list of commandments He was referring to -- which group of commandments -- the TEN COMMANDMENTS! He listed several of them, replying, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself '" (Matt.19:18-19). There can be no doubt which law, or list of commandments, Jesus was talking about!
Jesus did not need to mention the Sabbath day in particular at this time, because the Jews were all keeping it. Nor did He mention the command against idolatry, taking God's name in vain, or having any other gods before the true God. These commands the Jews were scrupulously obeying, at least in the letter of the law. Certainly the fact that Jesus did not mention the first four of the Ten Commandments, which deal with man's relationship with his Maker, did not imply that these commandments were done away with! This should be perfectly clear. Jesus Himself later told a young man that the greatest of all the laws of God is, "'Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments'" (Matt.22:37-40).
Jesus clearly did NOT teach that the laws of God were abolished! He plainly said that if we hope to get eternal life, we must OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS
Love, Walter And Debbie
Sub-title /What Jesus Said about God’s Law
By The Deceased William F. Dankenbring/ Title A New Look at the SABBATH
Is God's Sabbath Abolished with the Old Covenant? Or an Eternal Command of God, Still in Force Today?
Jesus Christ taught His disciples for three years, carefully, intimately, the truth of God. Did He ever once imply or state that the Sabbath day was “done away” or “abolished”? Did He imply that His crucifixion would “abolish” the laws of God and the Sabbath command?
What did Jesus Himself teach?
Notice the very words of the Saviour Himself!
"Do NOT think that I have come to ABOLISH THE LAW or the Prophets; I have
not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, UNTIL HEAVEN
AND EARTH DISAPPEAR, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will
BY ANY MEANS DISAPPEAR FROM THE LAW until everything is accomplished"
Matt.5:17-18).
Is the earth still here, today? Can you still see the stars twinkling in beauty at night? If so, then the LAW OF GOD IS STILL IN FORCE! So said your Saviour! Jesus did not come to abolish the laws of God -- but to "fulfill" them, that is, to "fill them full," to teach their fullest
meaning and significance, to MAGNIFY them! Not even the smallest letter of God’s Law is done away -- Jesus HIMSELF said so!
Whom will you believe? Ministers, clergymen, priests, or church leaders who have STRAYED from the truth? Or the very words of Christ, the Messiah, Himself? Whom do you believe -- mere men? Or the Messiah?
Isaiah foretold of the Christ, "It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to MAKE HIS LAW GREAT AND GLORIOUS" (Isa.42:21). Done away with? Not on your life! Abolished? Don't you bet on it! Rather, Christ came to MAGNIFY the law, and make it GREAT and GLORIOUS! He came to teach it IN SPIRIT, as well as in the letter! Read all of Matthew 5, and you will see how Jesus did not abolish the law of God, but STRENGTHENED it, and showed how it applies in spirit, mind, and attitude, and not just in the outward "letter"!
Did Jesus come to "loosen" the law, and make it less binding? Notice! Jesus told His disciples, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt.5:20). That sounds pretty plain, doesn't it?
Later on during Jesus' ministry a rich young ruler came to Him, asking Him, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" (Matt.l9:16). Now here was Jesus' perfect opportunity. Why, if some modern churches are right, here was where He should have said, "Why my dear young man, don't you know there is NOTHING you must 'do' at all? You can't get eternal life by good works! The Sabbath is done away; all you have to do is just 'believe' on me!"
But is that what Jesus Christ said to this young man's direct question?
Notice! Jesus replied, "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS" (verse 17).
The young man asked, "Which ones?"
Jesus then explained which list of commandments He was referring to -- which group of commandments -- the TEN COMMANDMENTS! He listed several of them, replying, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself '" (Matt.19:18-19). There can be no doubt which law, or list of commandments, Jesus was talking about!
Jesus did not need to mention the Sabbath day in particular at this time, because the Jews were all keeping it. Nor did He mention the command against idolatry, taking God's name in vain, or having any other gods before the true God. These commands the Jews were scrupulously obeying, at least in the letter of the law. Certainly the fact that Jesus did not mention the first four of the Ten Commandments, which deal with man's relationship with his Maker, did not imply that these commandments were done away with! This should be perfectly clear. Jesus Himself later told a young man that the greatest of all the laws of God is, "'Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments'" (Matt.22:37-40).
Jesus clearly did NOT teach that the laws of God were abolished! He plainly said that if we hope to get eternal life, we must OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS
Love, Walter And Debbie
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