Daily Devotional, Year 3 – November 8 (How To Keep The Sabbath, Part 2: “Where Prayer Was Wont To Be Made”)

By admin On February 17th, 2021

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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – November 8

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How To Keep The Sabbath,

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Part 2:

“Where Prayer Was Wont To Be Made”

To read Part 1, click here…September 28 (How To Keep The Sabbath, Part 1: “Finding Rest Unto Your Souls!”)

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“And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side,

where prayer was wont to be made;”

Acts 16:13

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PRAYER BY A RIVER SIDE

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This above verse from the New Testament Book of Acts speaks of the Sabbath…“And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made;” Acts 16:13

WHAT!?

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The New Testament actually speaks of Paul and his fellow Christians keeping the Sabbath!?

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Now this revelation really make us nervous!

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Prayer by a river on the Sabbath – cropped image – Acts 16-13 – Bible Illustrations by Sweet Media –

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Or at least, we should be nervous!

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Exclamation Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“THE SABBATH…WHERE PRAYER WAS WONT (DESIRED) TO BE MADE”

Acts 16:13

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After all, this above verse seems to establish that the Sabbath was still a one day per week event in New Testament times!

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And by coming out of that city of Philippi, a mostly gentile community, and going down to the river where, “prayer was wont (desired) to be made”, strongly suggests that Paul and the other followers of Jesus, both Jew and Gentile, still honored the literal Sabbath day of the Old Testament.

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The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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“AND YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS”

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And yet, there are a number of other Bible passages which confirm that the New Testament Sabbath is not a LITERAL, but rather, a SPIRITUAL rest, in which Jesus says…“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28, 29

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So, which is it?

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Is the New Testament Sabbath still a literal 24 hour per week event?

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Or is the New Testament Sabbath a 24/7/365 cessation from the works of the flesh: the spiritual rest we have in Jesus?

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ABOVE PICTURE – winter – Orion the Good Shepherd – www.signsofheaven.org

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“LET EVERY MAN BE FULLY PERSUADED”

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Well, perhaps this next verse may clear up at least some of the confusion…“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.” Romans 14:5, 6

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Now, without clarifying exactly what “day” he’s referring to here, Paul nevertheless lays down a principle which can aptly be applied to the 7th Day Sabbath.

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After all, the New Testament does seem to be ambiguous regarding the Sabbath issue.

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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NEW TESTAMENT OFTEN SEEMS AMBIGUOUS

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Oh yes, in the Old Testament, there was no confusion regarding the Sabbath. But God purposely “muddied the waters”, as the saying goes, regarding our New Testament duty. In other words, in the New Testament, the Sabbath was declared to be that spiritual rest which must be entered into, being synonymous with Salvation.

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Listen… “And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:18, 19

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And this above passage continues, “There remaineth therefore a rest (literally, ‘a Sabbath keeping’) to the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9

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And this Sabbath keeping is entered into when a person becomes “Born Again” by the power of the Holy Spirit: a spiritual rest.

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Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

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So which is it? A one day event? An everyday event? Or perhaps both?

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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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KEEPING THE SPIRITUAL SABBATH A MUST!

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**Well, one thing is for sure! Without entering into Christ’s “rest unto your souls”, there can be no true Salvation for an individual.**

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Thus, a 24/7/365 spiritual rest unto your souls is a must for every true worshiper of God!

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ABOVE PICTURE – winter – Orion the Good Shepherd – www.signsofheaven.org

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“SOME THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD!”

2nd Peter 3:16

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But God often made the Bible very difficult to comprehend!

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For one thing, God does not want us to get so dogmatic! He wants humble and teachable disciples! He doesn’t want a bunch of “Know-It-Alls”!

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But rather, He wants us to become even as humble little children…“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

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And thus, there are many places in Scripture in which should cause us to fall to our face (spiritually speaking) and confess…“LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” Psalm 131:1

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David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

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“A BROKEN AND A CONTRITE HEART…THOU WILT NOT DESPISE!”

Psalm 51:17

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Ultimately, the Bible commands us this way…“Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” Romans 14:5.

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In other words, before we begin to condemn any other person about their Sabbath keeping, let’s remember that Romans 14:5, 6, warns us not to do this: we are not to judge one man who regards one day above another, nor another man who regards all days alike!

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And until we become fully persuaded in our own mind about this question, as it applies to our own life, it might be wise to consider also keeping a literal 24-hour-per-week Sabbath, as Paul seemed to do!

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After all, doesn’t Jesus assure us…“For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day”? Matthew 12:8

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The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 4, CLICK HERE…

March 28 (How To Keep The Sabbath, Part 4: “How To Quit Working On The Sabbath”)

Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Put it in my heart to begin to seek after that peace which surpasses all understanding…

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the firmament sheweth His handiwork!

Psalm 19:1

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THE SIGNS OF HEAVEN

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And speaking of glittering diamonds, just go outside on any clear and dark night and behold the glittering diamonds of the Signs Of Heaven!

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Yes, like precious jewels, these heavenly signs sparkle brightly as they proclaim the precious truths of God’s Word.

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And those who are willing to devote themselves to unceasing prayer and constant meditation of God’s Word, will begin to locate these heavenly messengers!

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So why not put away our vain search for earthly treasures and begin to search for the everlasting riches found throughout the Bible, and now to also seek after those precious gem-stones that God is revealing in the heavens…

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Starry Night at La Silla – cropped and altered image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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TOMORROW:

November 9 (Add Thou Not! Part 5: “Non-biblical Names”)

ABOVE PICTURE – Adding to or taking from God’s Word, the Bible

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

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THIS IS STUDY #310 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

Click on image credit links below each photo, for licensing names, details, and tags, etc.. Most Images cropped & reduced in size.

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