[NMG26]

Originally Posted by IhRedrider

Brasso,
You are right, I try to ignore those who aren't even on the same page.

So if the Holy Spirit is not on the same page as you, you will try to ignore it? This is possible only through doctrine taking the place of the holy spirit. When the holy spirit talks, and it does not agree with your doctrine, you can just ignore it.

I noticed this happening when I was a Christian. Finnally I allowed myself to grow past the doctrine. Some people never do. They live and die according to religion they were born into. It works, but it is limiting.

[Brasso]

So if the Holy Spirit is not on the same page as you, you will try to ignore it? This is possible only through doctrine taking the place of the holy spirit. When the holy spirit talks, and it does not agree with your doctrine, you can just ignore it.

I noticed this happening when I was a Christian. Finnally I allowed myself to grow past the doctrine. Some people never do. They live and die according to religion they were born into. It works, but it is limiting.

Not at all.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is revealed in the Bible. Without the Bible there is no knowledge of Him. Within the pages of the Bible He gave us instructions on how to worhip Him. If you ignore these, then how are you worshipping Him? You're not. You are worshipping someone else by default.

He didn't give us His instructions "just becasue". The entire Bible is about repenting to His Ways. Ignore that and you have nothing.

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

"Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."

[NMG26]

Originally Posted by Brasso

Not at all.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is revealed in the Bible. Without the Bible there is no knowledge of Him. Within the pages of the Bible He gave us instructions on how to worhip Him. If you ignore these, then how are you worshipping Him? You're not. You are worshipping someone else by default.

He didn't give us His instructions "just becasue". The entire Bible is about repenting to His Ways. Ignore that and you have nothing.

Right.

Christians say it is about the "relationship". The relationship you are describing is a relationship with doctrine.

Doctrine is in your mind, and not God's voice.

Originally Posted by Brasso

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

Jesus is talking about Israel. Jesus is essentially saying the same thing I am.

The verse prior:

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me."

Who do you think "this people" is?

Originally Posted by Brasso

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

When you have a relationship with God.......not doctrine, then God teaches you of your own heart. God works with the heart of mankind. This is God's love for man.

The next verse:

"I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings. "

Originally Posted by Brasso

"Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."

You miss use the intent. Jesus was born in a culture that taught that "salvation is of the Jews". He was teaching something different though.

The next verse.

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

To worship God in spirit and in truth has nothing to do with being a certain sect, or religion, with it's doctrines and dogmas. They killed Jesus because he was not lining up with the teachings of the day. "Christ, you know it ain't easy".

I know. I am wasting my time. Sometimes I just enjoy pontificating.

Peace.

[Kingarthurhk]

Originally Posted by Snapper2

What was the Noahic Covenant for and who was it for? The Sabbath wasnt mentioned was it? If not,why?

Genesis 9:8-17, "⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” ¹⁷ So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

That is the covenant. There won't be a world wide flood that destroys all life again. The sign of that covenant is a rainbow.

I really don't see your point.

[Snapper2]

Originally Posted by Kingarthurhk

Genesis 9:8-17, "⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” ¹⁷ So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

That is the covenant. There won't be a world wide flood that destroys all life again. The sign of that covenant is a rainbow.

I really don't see your point.

Sorry King, I should have said the seven laws God gave Noah. Was the Sabbath left out? Thanks

[Kingarthurhk]

Originally Posted by Snapper2

Sorry King, I should have said the seven laws God gave Noah. Was the Sabbath left out? Thanks

You might have to clarify what you mean.

[Snapper2]

Originally Posted by Kingarthurhk

You might have to clarify what you mean.

Gensis9:1-8 seems more like instructions or commands. Why was the Sabbath day commandment and other commandments saved for later?

[Vic Hays]

Originally Posted by Snapper2

Gensis9:1-8 seems more like instructions or commands. Why was the Sabbath day commandment and other commandments saved for later?

How do you know they were not? Just because they didn't make it into the Bible before Sinai doesn't mean that they were not known.

Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Morality was certainly known. They knew that sin was against God.

Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

[Snapper2]

Originally Posted by Vic Hays

How do you know they were not? Just because they didn't make it into the Bible before Sinai doesn't mean that they were not known.

Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

I agree with you on this Vic. Just hoping to learn more by asking the question. The commandments at Sinai seem to deal with bringing man up to par with God's character. I was wondering if God's laws to Noah had anything to do with the "destroyed by flood" earth. I read in this chapter where some things changed after the flood.

[IhRedrider]

So if the Holy Spirit is not on the same page as you, you will try to ignore it? This is possible only through doctrine taking the place of the holy spirit. When the holy spirit talks, and it does not agree with your doctrine, you can just ignore it.

No, only a fool would jump to this analogy. I try to ignore foolish men.

The OP was about the Sabbath and the observance of it. Not about "what does some random idiot feel about how much better they are now that they've progressed beyond the word of God". If you wish to discuss something else, feel free. You can start your very own post about anything you like.

[Brasso]

Christians say it is about the "relationship". The relationship you are describing is a relationship with doctrine.

Doctrine is in your mind, and not God's voice.

Jibber Jabber.

God revealed Himself to us through His commandments. They reflect the heart of God. To ignore them is to ignore God. They are His words. His desire. He wouldn't have told Israel to keep them as perpetual commandments if He didn't want them to keep them. You are deceived if you think you know God apart from His commandments.

1Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.
1Jn 2:4 The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

If anyone is ignoring His Torah, they had better think long and hard about those 3 verses.

[Snapper2]

I was raised Baptist. There are several ways I've seen people observe the Sabbath and I believe thats between them and God IMO. The commandment says to keep that day holy. Well to be honest I dont know how to do that without self righteousness.Can I sin the rest of the week? I was taught that Jesus is the Rest we enter into and that all days are now holy. but only by Him. I know I could be wrong about this and I surely wont judge you on the way you keep it. Unless of course you embarrassed me over the internet in front of everyone.

[Brasso]

Well to be honest I dont know how to do that without self righteousness.

I have a secret to tell you.

He wants you to do it. It's a commandment. Feel however you will. Just do it. You'll understand later.

[NMG26]

Originally Posted by IhRedrider

..... fool ......foolish........

......idiot

10-4

[Vic Hays]

Originally Posted by Snapper2

I was raised Baptist. There are several ways I've seen people observe the Sabbath and I believe thats between them and God IMO. The commandment says to keep that day holy. Well to be honest I dont know how to do that without self righteousness.Can I sin the rest of the week? I was taught that Jesus is the Rest we enter into and that all days are now holy. but only by Him. I know I could be wrong about this and I surely wont judge you on the way you keep it. Unless of course you embarrassed me over the internet in front of everyone.

I think it is an amazing thing that people continue in sin because they would feel self righteous if they stopped. If you were to stop sinning today and never commit another sin you would still be lost without the grace of God.

I keep the Sabbath because it is God's will that I enjoy His blessing on that day. I have time to look up from my round of toil and worry and see the beauty of God's creation around me. I don't deserve it, but it is a shame to waste a perfectly good Sabbath because I don't feel worthy.

[juggy4711]

Originally Posted by IhRedrider

...fool...foolish...
... idiot...

Originally Posted by NMG26

10-4

NMG26 and I don't have the same beliefs but we both believe. It's truly a shame more don't appreciate the freedom he was talking about.

Originally Posted by Vic Hays

...If you were to stop sinning today and never commit another sin you would still be lost without the grace of God.

That isn't freedom.

Originally Posted by Vic Hays

I keep the Sabbath because it is God's will that I enjoy His blessing on that day. I have time to look up from my round of toil and worry and see the beauty of God's creation around me. I don't deserve it, but it is a shame to waste a perfectly good Sabbath because I don't feel worthy.

You believe all that because you chose to allow a book to convince you of it and judging by the last sentence because you have self esteem issues. My appreciation of God, life and existence is tied to no book, no building, no calendar or day of the weak. It is what I choose to do when I choose to do it. Choice. That is freedom and it's also why you can choose to be so constrained.

[NMG26]

Originally Posted by Brasso

Jibber Jabber.

You are deceived if you think you know God apart from His commandments.

Yeah, that Moses was a smart one. Apparently he figured out that people will obey without thinking if you call something a "commandment of God".

To know God for me, goes way beyond following God out of fear. You are deceived if you think that no one can know, and love God, free from the the fear based commands, of an archaic religion.

Most people feel a connection to God even though your religion says they can not. Wonder why?

[Kingarthurhk]

Originally Posted by juggy4711

NMG26 and I don't have the same beliefs but we both believe. It's truly a shame more don't appreciate the freedom he was talking about.



That isn't freedom.



You believe all that because you chose to allow a book to convince you of it and judging by the last sentence because you have self esteem issues. My appreciation of God, life and existence is tied to no book, no building, no calendar or day of the weak. It is what I choose to do when I choose to do it. Choice. That is freedom and it's also why you can choose to be so constrained.

Which god? God with a captial "G" gave us 66 books of inspration in a compilation called "The Bible". It is a guide to Him, it speaks of His Character, His actions, and His plans for us.

Do you use a GPS? Why? In your estimation is that cramping your freedom? You are being guided by an outside entity to keep from being lost.

That is what the Bible is for.

[Kingarthurhk]

Originally Posted by NMG26

Yeah, that Moses was a smart one. Apparently he figured out that people will obey without thinking if you call something a "commandment of God".

To know God for me, goes way beyond following God out of fear. You are deceived if you think that no one can know, and love God, free from the the fear based commands, of an archaic religion.

Most people feel a connection to God even though your religion says they can not. Wonder why?

John 3:16-21, "¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."

[Brasso]

Most people feel a connection to God even though your religion says they can not. Wonder why?

And here we are. Right back to the beginning of my comments. He should have prefaced it with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Cause you aren't on the same page. You don't worship the same God.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of the Bible. He has rules. Don't keep them, don't claim to worship Him.

[Kingarthurhk]

Originally Posted by Snapper2

I agree with you on this Vic. Just hoping to learn more by asking the question. The commandments at Sinai seem to deal with bringing man up to par with God's character. I was wondering if God's laws to Noah had anything to do with the "destroyed by flood" earth. I read in this chapter where some things changed after the flood.

These Commands can be shown to exist before Sinai:


God’s law declared and written in His own hand at Sinai was not simply a lawgiven exclusively to the Jewish nation, it was in existence and known by thepeople of the earth long before Sinai.

Genesis 9:6, “⁶ “Whoeversheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.”

Here we see the 6^th Commandment long before Sinai.

Job 1:8, “⁸ Then the LORDsaid to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earthlike him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”



Job 24:13-17, “¹³ “Thereare those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.
¹⁴ When daylight is gone, themurderer rises up,
kills the poor and needy,
and in the night steals forth like a thief.
¹⁵ The eye of the adultererwatches for dusk;
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he keeps his face concealed.
¹⁶ In the dark, thieves breakinto houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.
¹⁷ For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors of darkness.”

Here we see the 6^th Commandment, the 7^th Commandment,and the 8^th Commandment long before Sinai.

Genesis 20:1-6, “¹ Now Abraham moved onfrom there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Fora while he stayed in Gerar, ² and there Abraham said of his wifeSarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and tookher.

³ But Godcame to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as deadbecause of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”

⁴ NowAbimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocentnation? ⁵ Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t shealso say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience andclean hands.”

⁶ Then Godsaid to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience,and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let youtouch her. ⁷ Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and hewill pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may besure that you and all who belong to you will die.”

Long before Sinai, God was very serious about the 7^thCommandment.

Genesis 35:2-5, “²So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get ridof the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change yourclothes. ³ Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build analtar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been withme wherever I have gone.” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign godsthey had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak atShechem. ⁵ Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on thetowns all around them so that no one pursued them.”

Herewe see Jacob telling those among his household to observe the 1^stand 2cnd Commandments long before Sinai.

Genesis 2:1-3, “¹ Thus theheavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

² By the seventh day Godhad finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested fromall his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

Here we see the 4^th Commandment at the foundation of creationlong before Sinai, and even before sin entered the world.

Exodus 5:4-5, “⁴ Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Mosesand Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to yourlabor.” ⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land aremany now, and you make them restfrom their labor!”

The term “rest” used by Pharaoh in theoriginal language is built on the word Sabbath. This was well before Sinai, and evidence of the 4^thCommandment observance.

Exodus 16:4-5, “⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will raindown bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gatherenough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they willfollow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they are to prepare whatthey bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

Exodus 16:21-30, “²¹Eachmorning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, itmelted away. ²² On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—twoomers^[b] for each person—and theleaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. ²³ He saidto them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbathrest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil whatyou want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”

²⁴ So they saved it untilmorning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. ²⁵“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the LORD. You willnot find any of it on the ground today. ²⁶ Six days you are togather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

²⁷ Nevertheless, some ofthe people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. ²⁸Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you^[c] refuse to keep my commands andmy instructions? ²⁹ Bear in mind that the LORD has given you theSabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyoneis to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.”

Here we have more evidence of the 4^th Commandment well beforeSinai.

[Snapper2]

Originally Posted by Kingarthurhk

Here we have more evidence of the 4^th Commandment well beforeSinai.

While in Egypt, did the Jews protest having to work or did they work every day? How did they worship while in slavery?I'll try to stay on topic. I know from reading from a few of your post that God's Spirit has given you insight from time to time. This,IMO didnt come from just reading your Bible did it? It had to do with things happening to you and in your life. And from listening. You cant always listen while busy. Another words if your so busy doing the Lord's work(helping those in need etc) you cant always hear. We need time to hear. Does this come from the Sabbath Rest we're talking about? I'm really not as much interested in what day its observed is as I am what this rest is .

[Brasso]

This is the problem. You don't know what this rest is because you have never partaken of it. At some point you just have to do what He says to do. Even if you don't understand the why of it. There is a blessing attached to all of His commandments.

Isa 58:13 “If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the set-apart day of יהוה ‘esteemed,’ and shall esteem it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
Isa 58:14 then you shall delight yourself in יהוה. And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Yaʽaqoḇ your father. For the mouth of יהוה has spoken!”

[Snapper2]

Originally Posted by Brasso

This is the problem. You don't know what this rest is because you have never partaken of it. At some point you just have to do what He says to do. Even if you don't understand the why of it. There is a blessing attached to all of His commandments.

No I have not set a day aside, your right Brasso. I do believe that Jesus is my salvation and have been baptized in His name. But no oberserving of a day of the week.

[Kingarthurhk]

Originally Posted by Snapper2

While in Egypt, did the Jews protest having to work or did they work every day? How did they worship while in slavery?I'll try to stay on topic. I know from reading from a few of your post that God's Spirit has given you insight from time to time. This,IMO didnt come from just reading your Bible did it? It had to do with things happening to you and in your life. And from listening. You cant always listen while busy. Another words if your so busy doing the Lord's work(helping those in need etc) you cant always hear. We need time to hear. Does this come from the Sabbath Rest we're talking about? I'm really not as much interested in what day its observed is as I am what this rest is .

I suspect they were forced to work every day considering the mentality of the Pharoh:

Exodus 5:6-9, "⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

Certainly, they were influenced by the culture of Egypt considering their actions here:

Exodus 32:1-9, "When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods^[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
² Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. ⁸ They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

The notes I provided in the post above were from my notes from teaching the Adult Sabbath School. I enjoy teaching. I was asked out of the clear blue sky to be on the lesson teaching schedule. When presented an opportunity for God, I never turn Him down. So, I accepted. I really had never taught the lesson to church body before, I have given sermons. Sermons tend to be rhetorical; unless you are my 8 year old son, then he feels the need to answer.

But, teaching to an audience where things can go completely left field is an interesting experience to say the least. For instance, we are an open congregration and people can come in off the street, and sometimes do.

As to helping others, I find the greatest pleasure doing that, because I know I am doing Jesus' work, and the words He spoke.

Matthew 25:34-40, "“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

So, I want to smile at the person no one wants to make eye contact with. I want to pray with the smelly disheveled guy when it comes to partnering up for prayer. I want to shake the hand of person who shows up late to church beacuse they are comming in on faltering legs, not sure why they are stepping ing a church in the first place.

There is an interesting passage in Hebrews about this rest:

Hebrews 4:1-13, "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ² For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^{[a] 3} Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”^[b]

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^{[c] 5} And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, ⁷ God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”<sup>[d]


8</sup> For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[e] just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews shows us two things. One there is still the Sabbath rest, but it also shows us the spritual nature of God's word.

The Sabbath was at the very beginning of the world, and will be in the earth made new a day of worship and communion with God.

I find my Sabbath blessing does two things:

1. It gives me physical rest, because I tend to be a workaholic. I'll work 12 hours, and still come here to do what I believe is God's work.

2. It gives me spritiual rest, and allows me to have a 24 hour period to focus on God very specifically: both corporately and personally.

As to the scripture I usually post here, it is because the Holy Spirit brings the passage to mind, and I go and get it and post it here.

Luke 12:11, "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

I am always very happy to answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.

As to listening to God, there is a very good thing to do when in prayer and meditation of scripture.

Psalms 46:10, "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;"

And listen for that still small voice:

1 Kings 19:11=13, " He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”