During the Old Testament dispensation the day of rest and worship of God was on the seventh day, that is on Saturday. But when the Saviour came to accom plish His redemptive work He gave to His people a new day of worship, namely, the first day of the week. It was on Sun day that He arose from the dead (John 20:1), and it was on Sunday, the first day of the week, that the Saviour sent the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). The early Christians almost immediately began to worship God on the first day of the week (Acts 20:6, 7), and the Apostle urged Christians to bring their offerings to the Lord on the first day of the week when they assembled for worship (1 Cor. 16: 1 , 2 ). One of the great accomplishments of the Saviour on the Cross and through the Resurrection was the deliverance of the believer from the penalty of a broken law (Gal. 2:16). The writer of Hebrews tells us that with the coming of Christ came also a change of the law (Heb. 7: 12). Under thé old dispensation God’s people were required on pain of death to keep the sabbath; but there is no such requirement under the new dispensation. In fact, the New Testament warns against the legalistic keeping of any day. There is no requirement but that of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in order to have salva tion in this present age (John 1:12; 3:16; 3:36; 5:24, and many many other Scrip tures). For any man to add certain re strictions and requirements for salvation is for that man grievously to sin against God (Gal. 1:6-9; 2:16; 3:10; 5:13). Paul warns against this very thing again in Colossians 2:16, 17. You see, Christian, that there is no legal obligation resting upon you to keep Sat urday or any day as a day of worship. Christ Rested From His Redemptive Work and is Still Resting John 19:30, 38-42 Here is a very blessed truth: when the Saviour died on the cross He said “ It is finished.” What did He mean? He meant that His work of redeeming His elect was accomplished. He died for the sins of His people, and that precious sacrifice is sufficient for the washing away of all our guilt (1 John 1:7). Actually, then, with His resurrection the Saviour altered upon His sabbath of rest, and in Him each believer is enjoying the real sab bath. This is the meaning of the Apostle in Hebrews 4. Read this chapter care fully. Note that in v. 3 the Holy Spirit says that “ we which have believed do enter into rest.” This means that the Christian is even now in blessed rest from all effort to save himself through works. Because Christ died there is no work for you to do in order to be saved. I am not speaking here of works that accom pany salvation. Every believer ought to be doing good works, not in order to be saved, but because he is saved (Eph. 2: 10 ). How the believer in this dispensation ought to thank God for his wonderful freedom, and how he ought to guard that freedom lest any false teacher bring him again into bondage to the law. I recommend that you read carefully and often Paul’s letter to the Galatian church.
Aug. 9, 1953 Who are Some Bible Musicians? Gen. 4:21; 1 Sam. 16:23; 2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Chron. 15:27, 28 God is the God of joy. W e need but to look about us in the creation He has brought to pass to see the truth of this great fact. We listen to the singing of the birds, the chirping of the insects, the cooing of the doves, the laughter of little children at play, the song of the wind through the trees, and we are reminded of the fact that God is certainly the God of joy. The opening scenes of the Bible take us to a garden. God placed man in the most perfect environment amidst the most lovely setting. This truth is evidence of the fact that God intended that man should have a perpetual song in his heart. But something blighted that garden, and something robbed out of the heart of man his song. What was this something? It was sin. Read the account of Genesis 3, and see how sin entered the human heart, and how sin has, since that time, been responsible for all the disharmony in the world. But, blessed be His name, He has pro vided a way in which fallen man might be restored back to fellowship with Him self, and this is the story of the Bible. This is why the Bible is a book of song. The Bible is full of singing. Read through the book of Psalms and note the abound ing joy of salvation. Take your Bible Concordance (and every Christian ought to have one) and look up the words joy and rejoice and singing and gladness. It might amaze you to see how often these words appear in Scripture. Some people get the idea that the Christian life is gloomy and morose; nothing of the kind; the Christian life "is the only happy life; everything else is but a poor substitute for Christian joy. The Source of Christian Joy There is no joy apart from Jesus Christ. Would that ,the multitudes of the earth could discover this fact! Would that the countless young people of our beloved na tion would find this truth! How many thousands of teen-agers are seeking some thing that will give them the kick that their natures demand, but they are seek ing in the wrong direction. The devil can show them how to get high through sin, through dope, through dissipation, but he cannot show them how to get the joy of the Lord in their hearts. Again, I say that Jesus Christ is the only source of real joy (John 15:11). Notice in this verse that joy comes through the Word of Christ, through the Word of God. It is the truth as we have it in the Bible that can bring real joy. Jeremiah the prophet found this to be true and he tells us about it in Jeremiah 15:16. Read this verse and memorize it together in your meeting. If every young person would saturate his soul with the teaching of the Word of God he would find the true meaning of life and hence the real joy there is in living in the will of God. Christ is willing to share His joy with you, and CONTINUED ►
Helps for Christian Endeavor and Other Young People's Groups By Chester J. Padgett, D.D. Associate Professor of Bible Biola Bible College Aug. 2, 1953 For our readers ■who live on the Pacific Coast may I remind you of two Bible Conferences being sponsored by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles during the month of August. The first will be at Glendawn Bible camp at Five Mile Lake midway between Seattle and Tacoma. The dates of this conference are August 2-9, and it would be wonderful to see our many friends in the Washington area for a time of fellowship around the Word at Glen dawn. Our second conference in August will be held at Mount Hermon, near Santa Cruz, Calif., and will include the dates August 16-23. W e sincerely trust that we shall have the opportunity of meeting many of you at one of these two conferences. Our Saviour, in His infinite wisdom, invited His disciples in Mark 6:30-32, to come “ into a desert place, and rest a while.” My, how much we need a per iodic time of spiritual rest and refresh ment. The reason many Christians suffer nervous breakdowns is because they have not yet learned how to draw apart with Christ for times of rest and relaxation. It is not the Saviour’s will that any of His people should go through the torments of nervous and mental disorders. It is our judgment that if only each Christian would take the time for periods of quiet ness before the Lord he would avert any such experience (cf. Phil. 4:6, 7). God Rested From His Creative Work Gen. 2:2, 3 In setting the example of resting one day in seven our God demonstrates to His creatures the wisdom of doing likewise. In fact, we read that the Lord “ blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (v. 3). We are not told in this passage that the Lord commanded men to rest on the seventh day; this comes later, and is designed to be a sign for Israel of their covenant with the Lord God (Ex. 31:13). Come Ye Apart and Rest Awhile Gen. 2:2, 3; Mark 6:30-32
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