Sermon:
Wiggle Room
by Chris Cumming
Some weeks ago, I received an e-mail asking questions about the
Sabbath. The questions were about what could be done and what should
not be done on the Sabbath. Doing a check, I found that besides one
paper in my posted
Minister’s Notebook, I had never done a sermon specifically about
the Sabbath.
My purpose today is to discuss from God’s Word, the Sabbath and to
encourage all of us to delight in the Sabbath.
When I received that e-mail, a thought came profoundly to my mind. When
it comes to the Sabbath, there is no wiggle room.
So what is “wiggle room?”
Wiggle Room
--a contract with wiggle room for further negotiations.
--capacity or scope for negotiation or operation, especially in order to
modify a previous statement or decision.
In the case of the Sabbath, the text of the contract is found in the
pages of your Bible. The writer of the contract is God. The
participants in this contract are currently, all the firstfruits.
Who possibly could be looking for wiggle room in this contract? When the
person made their Sabbath inquiry, my first thought was, “the Sabbath
contract has no wiggle room
Look at the definition of the term again:
“a contract with wiggle room.”
“a contract with room for further negotiations.”
“the capacity to modify the contract in place.
When it comes to the Sabbath or the Sabbath contract, if you will, there
is no wiggle room and we have no power or encouragement to attempt a
modification of this contract.
Let us get into the Word of God now and review some of the elements of
this contract.
As if I had not already told you, where did
this contract come from? Where did the Sabbath come from? Who owns the
Sabbath? Who wrote up this contract?
Ezekiel 20:12
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.
Mark 2:27-28
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for
the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Seems clear to me:
--God gave us the Sabbath.
--He is the owner of the Sabbath.
--This is His contract.
--The Sabbath was made for us.
--Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath.
--The purpose of the Sabbath is so we can know Christ and the Father.
--God sanctifies us.
Notice this from Biblical Illustrator on Ezekiel 20:12
The Sabbath day
I. The Sabbath is of universal and perpetual obligation.
II. It has its own peculiar employments: “Hallow My Sabbaths.” They are to be days of rest from labour, and refreshment for the soul. Let them be sacred days; devote them to the praise and cause and glory of God.
III. There was a most blessed design in its institution: “Hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign,” etc.
1. They were to be a sign between God and His people—a sign more frequently brought before them than the bow (rainbow) in the clouds. That told they should not be destroyed; but this tells of eternal life—is a type and symbol of the Sabbath of rest in His everlasting kingdom.
2. Another design mentioned is the edification and instruction of His people,
“that ye may know that I am the Lord.”
--it is a perpetual obligation.
--it has specific employments (assignments).
--it is a rest from labour.
--it is refreshment for the soul.
--it is sacred.
--devote them to praise and cause and glory of God.
--Hallow my Sabbaths.
--it is a sign between God and His people (when they are hallowed).
--it is a type and symbol of the Sabbath in the Kingdom.
--it is a time of edification and instruction of His people.
--it is designed in a way that we may know that God is Lord.
So what does "Hallowed" mean? If the Sabbath is to a sign between God and me,
if they are hallowed, I had better know the meaning of this word.
Hallowed
--divine
--blessed
--holy
--anointed
--sanctified
A "sign" that I may "know."
What do these words mean?
The word "sign" is Strong's H226 and means, "in the sense of appearing" or "a
signal" and is rendered, among other things as a miracle, sign or token. We are
talking about God here. This means that the Sabbath was constructed as a living
metaphor of God, Himself. Do you see why the Sabbath must remain perfect and
cannot be modified? Would any of us wish to modify Christ or God the Father
from what they are. God is saying that as we experience His perfect, unmodified
Sabbath, we see Him.
Let me state this again. The Strong’s meaning here is “in the sense of
appearing.” The Sabbath is a sign, but what specifically is appearing? God
says the Sabbath is His. He made it specifically to be a sign and purely
representative of Him (God and Christ). Since God designed and made the
Sabbath, it is perfect. Since the Sabbath is a sign between God and man, that
perfect sign is God the Father and Christ. When we keep the Sabbath, God is
“appearing” to us. This is the same God who appears to us as a result of our
Assiduity praying or putting everything of this or any day into His hands. If
one has put everything of a given day into the hands of God, you are going to
“see” Him throughout the entire day. You will see the manifestation of His
providence, His protection, His blessings and His guidance. Notice that one
rendering of H226 “sign” is “miracle.” When you see God manifested throughout
the day, doesn’t each instance feel and look like a miracle. A miracle sign.
Compared to the other 6 days of the week, doesn’t the Sabbath seem like a
miracle? The miracle of the Sabbath is that we can take time to “see” and
contemplate this perfect God. What did Ezekiel 20:26 say again in the last
phrase?
Ezekiel 20:12
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.
… “that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.”
Therefore, as I rest on the Sabbath and immerse myself into the Word of God and,
moreover, meditate and pray about all the manifestations of Him throughout the
week, do we not “see” Him and know Him a little bit more?
Is this just some concept I made up from conclusions I have from the Word of God
or does God speak of this concept somewhere in the Bible? Remember, I told you
that H226 [sign] is also rendered “miracle.” This occurs once in Numbers
and twice in Deuteronomy. Turn over to Deuteronomy 11 and verse 1.
As I read this statement, made to the Children of Israel, understand that His
words and statements are for all firstfruits too.
Deuteronomy 11:1-3
1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his
statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known,
and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness,
his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
3 And his miracles [H226], and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto
Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land.
Do you see what He is saying here? God is saying we have seen Him. How?
--by His statutes, judgments and commandments.
--by His chastisement [H4148: reproof, warning, instruction (doctrine)].
--by His greatness.
--by His mighty hand.
--by His stretched out arm.
--by His miracles.
--by His acts.
Speaking of firstfruits: I can tell you right now that one is not fully
going to see His greatness, mighty hand, outstretched arm, miracles or acts
without keeping His statutes, judgments and commandments. Note: If you
are in the salvation process, you are doing this. The Sabbath is mentioned all
throughout His statutes, judgments and commandments.
The Forward-moving, Law-abiding, Commandment-keeping firstfruit will constantly
be putting everything of each day into God's hands and will constantly "see" His
miracles [H226] and His acts all through the week. Then comes the greatest of
God-signs, the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a sign [H226] of that perfect God. Who
would even want to look for or justify wiggle room in all of this?
The Sabbath day is the perfect day to thank God for all His actions, His
miracles and all the intervention of Christ Jesus the last 7 days [the
Sabbath being that 7th day].
We have "seen" God all the weeklong thorough all His manifestations and
throughout every page of His Word as we study, pray, mediate and occasionally
fast. On this perfectly made God day or day of the LORD, we are afforded
contemplation of all the "sights" of Him throughout the week and we do it on a
day that is the perfect sign of Him.
Is it any wonder that God calls this day sacred and holy?
Now, let us look at the word "know" as in "that they might know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 20:12)
The word "know" is Strong's H3045 and means, among many things, "to know (properly
to ascertain by seeing)." So here is that word "seeing" again. Think of
all the things we do, especially on the Sabbath, like praying, meditation,
study, fasting and reading. How can we do these things in a perfectly
constructed Sabbath and not "see" God?
The Sabbath needed by man
Those who have served a battery upon the battlefield tell us that, at intervals,
they are forced to pause, that the guns may cool, and that the smoke may lift to
furnish accurate aim; yes, and because ammunition is exhausted. No Christian can
fight the battle of the week without the quiet Sabbath to cool off his guns. He
needs repose (rest/calm) of soul. He wants heavenly breezes to lift the
earth-lowering shadows. He must replenish his store from the secret place of
prayer and meditation.
We need the Sabbath. What we see in verse 12 of Ezekiel 20. Go down in your
Bibles to verse 20.
Ezekiel 20:20
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may
know that I am the LORD your God.
This says much what verse 12 says. Notice the commentary:
And hallow my sabbaths - Or keep them holy, by abstaining from worldly business
on them; by observing all the duties of religion, private and public, to be
performed on such days:
And they shall be a sign between me and you - of present and future good;
That ye may know that I am the Lord your God - not only acknowledge him to
be the Lord their God, by observing his laws, and sanctifying his sabbaths; but
also have a larger experience of his grace and goodness, as their covenant God.
~John Gill
God is telling us that if we refrain from attempting to modify His perfect
Sabbath, we will experience good here and now and in the future.
Notice the words and phrases from both the scripture and the commentary:
1] Hallow
2] Holy
3] Abstain from worldly business
4] That you may know I am your God.
5] Observe His laws.
6] Sanctify His Sabbaths
All together, they insure there is absolutely no wiggle room here.
Notice the promise God gives in all this:
1] The Sabbaths shall be a sign between me and you.
2] “Of present and future good
3] “But also have a larger experience of His grace and goodness.
The word, “Sanctify” means to make holy, set apart as sacred, consecrate. It
means to purify or make free from sin, meaning to take out all things that would
hamper our making it holy, sacred and consecrate. It means “binding” as in the
Sabbath being binding with no wiggle room. It means to handle with reverence
and respect. It means to make productive of or conducive to spiritual [and
other] blessings.
Take that phrase “it shall be a sign between me [God] and you.: He is
perfect and the Sabbath [the sign] is perfect. This phrase denotes a
relationship and moreover, a deal, a commitment and a contract. We, the
firstfruits, called into this contract must strive to make our end perfect.
This means that we continue toward perfection in this deal.
So what is with the promise here? What is God speaking of? He is talking about
blessing us IF and when we set aside any blockade to our keeping the deal.
Clearly, any temptation, like a job on the Sabbath, or making justifications for
any thing we desire to do that is not lawful and takes up our time for worship
must be defeated and THEN God gives the blessing.
In the case of a job, where one would be compelled to work on the Sabbath; if we
set that aside, He will give us a better job or equal blessing.
Now About My 46 Years in the Faith
My observation in all these years has been that when a new firstfruit is called,
they invariably get tested on the Sabbath and/or Tithing or both. I was. You
probably were.
Now I want to ask you a question that is all-important to this sermon and to all
the admonitions we receive from God the Father and Christ Jesus about keeping
this day holy and holding it as hallowed and sacred:
Where do you keep the
Sabbath?
In the beginning of this sermon, I read a piece from the Biblical Illustrator
where it states:
… “is a type and symbol of the Sabbath of rest in His everlasting kingdom.”
That statement immediately has me thinking about what I call, “the 10,000-year
perspective. This is where you see yourself already 10,000 years into the
Kingdom of God. I encourage you to have this kind of perspective. For one, you
will have a clearer picture of the Godhead and all things heavenly and all
things pertaining to the eternal Kingdom of God.
Having stated this, let me ask you the all-important question again:
Where do you keep the Sabbath? Now some
are going to tell me immediately that you keep it at your home or yard or
sometimes at a lake or a forested mountain top with a grand view of nature.
All of these are wonderful. However all of these places are physical. The
perfect sign of the Sabbath is much more that something we do in a physical
place. When we use the Sabbath-related words of “holy”, “sacred” and “hallowed”
we are much beyond the physical.
Let us go to the other side of the coin here and let me ask you where temptation
takes place. I doubt that there is any firstfruit, with the exception of Jesus,
Himself, who did not, at one time or another break the Sabbath. I know I have.
Each instance of Sabbath-breaking begins with a thought, just like all sin
begins with a single thought which leads to the contemplation of an action and
then the temptation to carry out that action and moreover, to justify that
action.
Does God speak to this concept? Turn to Isaiah 58 and verse 13
Isaiah 58:13
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy
day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt
honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words:
The key phrases here for our present discussion are:
1] not doing thine own ways,
2] nor finding thine own pleasure,
3] nor speaking thine own words:
This scripture—Isaiah 58:13—has been erroneously applied by some to such
activities as television-viewing, swimming, listening to music, marital
relations and even reading the weekly, comics in the newspaper. Of course, any
of these activities could violate the spirit of the Sabbath day if they were to
be abused or overdone. Of and by themselves they are not wrong. What is wrong
is any activity which interferes with or detracts from the joy, rest and
spiritual intention of the day. If any activity works against the spirit of the
Sabbath, it is wrong, no matter what it is.
I get into this scripture in some detail in a Minister's Notebook piece I did
with the title, "Delight in the Sabbath!!" which you can see in the link
provided. Here is the conclusion of that study into what this scripture means
and the word meaning of these phrases:
1) "seeking your own pleasure" means "thine own business."
2) "seeking your own pleasure" does not refer to personal enjoyment.
3) God wants us to experience pleasure in balance on the Sabbath.
4) The Sabbath is God's day.
5) It is a day devoted to God and to godly activities.
6) It is holy.
7) It is hallowed.
8) It is a day to be honored.
9) It is a time to "delight in the Lord" as opposed to one's own mundane
business affairs.
10) You honor it by not plying your trade, not seeking your own interest or
attending to your own affairs.
So God makes it clear that temptation is possible in regards to how we keep the
Sabbath. All these temptations take place in the physical. God does not want
our Sabbath-keeping confined to the physical. Notice.
Romans 8:5-6
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they
that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace.
Colossians 3:1-2
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
This second verse answers the question of where you and I keep the Sabbath. If
there was ever a time for us to be “seeking those things which are above”, it is
the Sabbath day (clearly we are seeking those things above every day).
But then verse 1 gives us a very holy, specific place to be seeking… “where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” He is talking about the Throne Room
of Almighty God. This is where we keep the Sabbath Day and there is absolutely
no wiggle room in the Throne Room.
The temptations to break the Sabbath contract will always happen in the
physical. This is why our eyes must always be on the spiritual. This is true
of every day and hour but especially on the Sabbath Day.
When the Sabbath-breaking temptation comes. See yourself in the Throne Room.
Say you were tempted to binge-watch a bunch of Rambo movies on the Sabbath Day.
Would you take and set up your 65-inch TV and super DVD/Blue Ray player in the
Throne Room on the Sabbath Day? Just the contemplation of such a move sends
shivers up and down my spine and I reject such a temptation out of hand.
In the Pentecost sermon I gave you last week, I gave you three laws of making
right decisions:
1] What does the Word of God say?
2] What would Christ do?
3] Do all things and make all decisions as if
Christ were looking over your shoulder.
Maybe there should be a 4th law on this list, especially when it
comes to any kind of temptation:
4] Do all things as if you were currently present in the Throne Room.
Why? Because you are.
So go now and rejoice and delight in the perfect Sabbath Day, where there is no
wiggle room.