APR 19

John 5:1-18
Memorise Exodus 31:14
"…God blessed the seventh day? and sanctified it."

DO YOU DO GOD’S WORK ON THE SABBATH?

John records for us an incident where Jesus healed an infirmed man who could not walk. It became a problem with the Jews because Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath. The Jews accused Jesus of breaking the 4th Commandment. His reply was extraordinary. In essence, he claimed that He was doing His Father’s work, a divine work. The Jews were ready to kill Jesus for not only breaking the Sabbath but for also claiming that God was His Father. Did Christ say or do anything wrong? Certainly not! The 4th Commandment reads; "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy". What does it mean to keep it "holy"? It means to keep it spiritually pure, separate, sanctified unto God. It is a day dedicated to the worship and service of the Lord. We are not allowed to do work that we normally do on other days, but does it mean we are to do no work whatsoever? Christ answered this clearly in our passage today. He was doing the work of God and it was right to do so. God never intended for us to do no work whatsoever on the Sabbath. Instead, He wants us to continue to serve Him on Sundays. Sundays are set aside for the study of God’s Word preached over the pulpit or taught during Bible Studies. Worship services also allow us to spend the Sabbath to pray, praise and worship Him. Some fellowship groups and ministries take the opportunity to meet for fellowship or to perform ministry duties on Sundays. Others use Sundays to give out tracts to unbelievers. Many end their Sabbath by attending an evening worship service. God has provided us with many means of grace to spend our Sundays in a manner that can be said to be holy. However, the problem is that many of us do not avail ourselves to these activities. Many simply go home after morning worship and spend the rest of the day unprofitably. Some go to shopping centers to surround themselves with worldly attractions. Some spend the remaining Sunday pursuing leisure activities of various kinds. Others use it to catch up on their homework or study for exams. Other than the morning worship service, the remaining day is no different from the other 6 days. This is not keeping the Sabbath holy. Remember that the Sabbath is for man, for our benefit. By performing activities that please God, we are actually benefiting ourselves spiritually. If we choose to disobey God, we only hurt ourselves. May you seek to spend your Sabbath in a manner pleasing to God. 

Thought: Not keeping the Sabbath holy is breaking God’s law.
Prayer: Father, help me to dedicate my Sundays to You.