The Sabbath Is a Shadow

I hope everybody's enjoying the Feast of Tabernacles, and especially this Sabbath day. It's a beautiful day. Every day I get a chance to wake up and say, well, another beautiful day in paradise. It's amazing. This is actually my first time to Hawaii, my 50th state, though. And people back home were asking me, well, what are you going to do to celebrate such a momentous occasion? So I said, well, I'm going to go to Hawaii. So that's what we did.

I wanted to start off with a story, a story of a much different place than we are today.

A place that has its own sort of beauty, sort of in many similar ways, actually, as far as foliage, mountains, some rivers and streams, but much different, much dustier place. There was a man, an older man, on a particular morning, he put on his favorite maroon jacket.

He headed out the door alone. He carried with him only what he would need for his journey. He kept all his belongings there for that day in a briefcase that matched the color of his jacket.

It was rugged around the edges. He'd been using it for quite some time, but it still functioned. It still fit his needs. He had his Bible, of course, some cash for the journey, a notebook, a pen, a few other items that he might need, but nothing more. And he headed out as the sun was starting to rise a little bit more. He headed out on foot for the long journey, this long day ahead of him. He didn't want to waste any of the daylight because once the daylight went down, it was pretty dark. At the first leg of his journey was on foot. He walked along the dusty paths through his village from deeper villages to the nearest trading center. And there he planned to catch a ride on a bike taxi. Bush bikes, they call them sometimes. And the man now well into his 70s, he climbed on the small platform of the first bike taxi that he came across. He sat down as he was used to. He held on to the driver, to the rider, I should say, with one arm, and he held his briefcase on the other at first down below, just kind of dangling there, catching a little bit of the dust. Now the bike taxi driver chatted for a little while, but the man, a man of few words, only told him where he wanted to head and that he needed to get there before the minibus is filled up and left so that he could make sure that he made it to the next stage of his journey.

They rode together down the dusty paths, passed young men leading cattle through the bush, passed several other villages and trading centers along the ways people began their days, began bringing out their wares to sell or on their way to somewhere else. And the only sounds were the sounds of the people, a few distant roosters up early in the morning. See, I told you it's kind of similar to here. The heat of the early morning sub-Saharan sun was increasing rapidly, but he didn't mind. It didn't bother him. He was focused on this journey. He was used to this journey by this time. He made this journey probably thousands of times at this point. Always alone, as none of his family had yet been called into God's church. But he didn't mind. He was determined to keep making his journey weekly to be with his brethren on the Sabbath, come what may, to appear before his God as long as he would be able to do so. Now, not only was he the most consistent Sabbath attendee in his congregation, but he always showed up first, every single Sabbath. If he was going to be at church, he was there first. And there we would find him in the same seat near the front of the hall, quietly reading. And we learned that he would start his journey on Fridays, arriving in the city the evening before, and thankfully he had some family that he could stay with, always. And then he would come into church on the Sabbath day, in the morning, to be with his brethren every single week. At a certain point, after some brethren started noticing and families started noticing some serious signs of dementia, his trips changed a little bit. He did move closer into the city with his family, but as much as possible, he made it to Sabbath services. As much as he possibly could, every single week, as long as he possibly could, even after his mental condition worsened, he would still make his journey.

Now today, we are blessed to be called up by our God to appear before him on this Sabbath day, every Sabbath day. Now the fifth day of the feast is a little bit, I don't know, I think it's kind of forgotten. Who's, you know, who gets excited about the fifth day of the feast? Maybe the first day, you know, and by the end we start, you know, talking about going home, we're a little bit afraid of it, or just, you know, dreading it in a sort of way, but the fifth day just kind of rolls by, you know. It's unremarkable, forgettable in many ways, but today just happens to be the Sabbath day, the weekly Sabbath, and so it stands out a little bit different. Hopefully it hasn't just become part of our weekly routine. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes the Sabbath becomes so familiar that it can just be sort of a routine, something that we just go through. In some cases, hopefully not, but it can feel like a burden, or a day that we just take for granted, and we forget the importance of it. But we have been called up by our God here on the seventh day of the week.

Fifth day of the Sabbath, or the fifth day of the feast, the seventh day of the week, it's holy time, just as we have been called to keep God's feast. Now let's turn to Psalm chapter 95. Psalm chapter 95, there's a beautiful Psalm here. It's beautiful. It's a Psalm that reminds us that we have been called by our God to rejoice. It reminds us to come and praise our God during holy time. Although it doesn't specifically mention that holy time, it's very much implied, and we'll talk more about that here in a minute. Psalm 95, we see this call to worship that our God has given to us. Verse 1, O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Great reminders here of who has called us, both of our Father, the calling that we receive from our Father, and the work that he does through his Son to provide us with the wherewithal, the ability to come before him. Verse 2, let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. That shows our positive attitude, an appreciative attitude, a humble attitude. Let us shout joyfully to him with songs. And so we have this beautiful music that God has given us the ability to provide as praise, as worship, as we humbly seek with thanksgiving to praise our God during holy time. I think it's interesting to think about how we are probably the last ones of God's people to be starting Sabbath services, to enter the Sabbath, and even finish the Sabbath. In fact, we're 12 hours difference between Malawi. I think about that because I've been in touch with our feast coordinators there, our pastors there. There was one evening where they were having their brie, a barbecue. They were cooking the meat and enjoying it as the sun was setting there.

And I was enjoying my morning cup of coffee. Quite a contrast there. But we are among our brethren gathering on this day. And that's really, it's uplifting to me to know that, to think about it, to consider it. And the story of that man who traveled on those dusty roads from a faraway village just to keep the Sabbath on the bike taxis, the minibuses, by foot, whatever means he needed to get there, it's a very true story. Now, this man has since died, but his story lives on when we tell it. My wife and I, we remember his story, and it's inspiring. It's a constant reminder in our minds of the dedication that we need. You know, just showing up, answering our calling week by week, at every moment that God has called us up, to worship our Creator, even through our struggles. No matter where we find ourselves physically or even mentally, emotionally, we are to appear before our God, if at all possible. It's a beautiful story to remember.

I think of the country of Malawi, specifically the congregation in Lilongwe, I think of it fondly, that was actually our first pastorate. We trained in Alabama, and they figured that that would prepare us for Africa somehow. I don't know. Well, anyway, it worked, you know, I suppose we went there, we lived there for a year, and I passed through the congregation in Lilongwe, and we met many of our brethren there. We had a chance to see their struggles, and also their triumphs, their ambitions, their dreams, their hopes, and we came across some stories such as that.

And back in Psalm 95, Psalm 95 here, there isn't a specific mention of the Sabbath day, but we see a description of the power of our God and of His Son shown in the creation process, and that creation process also included the creation of holy time. So when we see these descriptions of the creation, that also includes the creation of holy time. Time set apart specifically for us as mortal human beings to connect with our God and to rest, to refocus ourselves. Verse 3 in Psalm 95, For the Lord is the great God and the great King above all gods. Now we see here a reminder that our God is above all other gods. In fact, these other gods don't exist. Any other gods that people come up with, whether on the Hawaiian islands, in the villages of Africa, or in the streets of New York City, you find all kinds in different places. Verse 4, In His hand are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the hills are His also. A reminder that everything that we see belongs to our God, and we have been given the pleasure of enjoying it. This is like the pasture that we have been sent out in, that we dwell in, that our God takes care of us in. Verse 5, The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. And then we see this other call of worship from our God. O come, let us worship and bow down. This is a call to humbly bow down before our God. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice. And we see a connection here, not just with the creation, but also with trials, with testing of the hearts of God's people, and seeking rest. This is where we find a more direct connection with the weekly Sabbath, the seventh day holy day, the seventh day of the week that is set apart. And this is a reminder of the trials, the tribulations, the testing of the hearts of God's people. In verse eight, this is a throwback to the Exodus, to when God's people wandered in the wilderness. Verse eight, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness when your fathers tested me. They tried me, though they saw my work. I always find that so interesting, you know, even though people saw the miracles of God with their own eyes. They saw the, you know, the cloud that followed them. They saw the pillar of fire, and yet they still questioned God's power.

So fascinating to think about. Of course, we understand that these were people, primarily, without God's Holy Spirit. Verse 10, for 40 years I was grieved with that generation and said it is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know my ways. So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. They shall not enter my rest. Now the Sabbath, the Sabbath is a shadow.

And that's actually what I've titled this message, the Sabbath is a shadow. The Sabbath is a shadow of things to come. It's still relevant today. And we see in this psalm, and we're going to see in some other passages, this connection with rebellion against God's command to rest, with not receiving that promised rest that God has given us the hope for.

There are obvious allusions here, as I mentioned, to the people of God wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. This reminds us of their time in booths, dwelling in temporary dwelling places. That's one of the reasons that we travel for the feast. We go to places where God has placed His name, and we dwell in temporary dwelling places.

I've dwelt in some various kinds in my life. I grew up in the church. We used to go camping sometimes. I've been in campers, tents, mediocre hotels, huts in Africa, different places, houses. I won't say you name it, I've been there because I haven't been everywhere yet, but lots of different places. And all of them, of course, are temporary. This reminder of God's people wandering in the wilderness, but it's also a reminder of their time of rebellion and testing of their hearts in the wilderness. And we see in that story that God had promised them rest from their captivity, from their bondage, but because of rebellion, most didn't enter into that rest.

Most of them died in the wilderness. They didn't enter into that rest that they had hoped for, the promised land that they so looked forward to getting to. And the psalm serves as this reminder of this direct connection between faith in God, of course accompanied by obedience to God, and entering into a future time of rest.

Now the Sabbath, as a shadow of things to come, the Sabbath looks forward to future times of rest. The Sabbath, the rest that we have on the weekly Sabbath, from the outside world, from sometimes the noise, the chaos that we experience, the struggles that we see and feel and are involved in so many times, in that weekly Sabbath rest reminds us of the rest that the world will receive in the time of the millennium, the beginning of the kingdom of God. Now the weekly Sabbath also looks forward to the keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles.

There's a connection there with a period of time of rest. So we see also that the Sabbath, the keeping of the weekly Sabbath, as holy time, as a time of rest from our usual work, prepares us for keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. Now when somebody comes into the church for the first time, when they're called in, they start understanding the fact that God still wants us to rest and commands us to rest on His Sabbath.

They, a lot of times, they'll begin there. Sometimes new people will call me and they'll ask, where do you meet? When do you meet? And I'll describe it to them, and I have to make sure that I specifically mention we meet on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. We keep the Sabbath, and most people, they already understand that. They've researched us, but some people are surprised.

Oh, I didn't know that. Okay, let me try that. So they'll start there, and keeping the Sabbath helps prepare them for keeping the other holy days, including the Feast of Tabernacles, which is such a unique experience that we have the chance to experience in our lives while we are remaining obedient to God. And of course, keeping the Feast of Tabernacles prepares us for living and serving in the kingdom of God.

So we see this pattern here. The rest that we experience, that we're commanded to have on the weekly Sabbath, prepares us for the rest, the celebration, the coming before our God in the Feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, and that prepares us for living in, dwelling in, the kingdom of God and serving in the kingdom of God. That's a fantastic plan that God has prepared. So we see there that the Sabbath is a shadow of things to come with that respect. The Sabbath preparing us for keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast preparing us for living in the kingdom of God. Let's turn to Hebrews chapter 3.

Hebrews chapter 3 and 4 actually quote this psalm, Psalm 95. You probably realized that already, but it's nice to make these connections here and elaborate a little bit more. And we see that that connection made stronger between rebellion and not having the rest, and also obedience, faith, actually believing in our hearts and receiving that future promised rest that we desire, that we need, that we look forward to. And hopefully this isn't anything new to us, but it's a good reminder as we come together on God's Sabbath day of these things. Hebrews chapter 3, we'll start with verse 7. We'll start with a therefore. There are lots of therefores in the book of Hebrews pointing out something that is that is important for us to take note of, that we should remember, of course, having read the previous things. But we're going to break into some of the thought here, but we come right into a quote, a direct quote from Psalm 95. The writer starts off here, therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, as God has inspired through his Holy Spirit, those who wrote that Psalm, today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. This is a reminder for us, thousands of years later, the same test of our hearts. But the difference is that while we get to look back at their missed opportunities and hopefully not make the same mistakes as they made, but also, in theory, we have God's Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And I trust that we do. Otherwise, why would we be here? At least those of us who have been baptized had hands laid on us. We've received God's Holy Spirit. And now, under the new covenant, we have this covenant of the heart. And so God is testing our hearts and he's dwelling within us, helping us to draw close to him so that we don't make these same mistakes like our spiritual ancestors. Today, if you will hear his voice, verse 8, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness where your fathers tested me, tried me, and saw my works 40 years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation and said they always go astray in their hearts and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest. And again, here we have warning against rebellion. And that warning still applies to us today, just like it did ancient Israel, the warning of rebellion.

We also see great reminders. And this word, beware, in verse 12, beware, brethren. So we have the word of God here explaining to us, don't make the same mistakes. Beware, brethren, lest there be any of you in an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another. Now this gets into what we do about it. We believe, we believe the promises of God, and if we do believe, then we act upon it. But also we reach out, we encourage others, we reach out and we extend a hand where we can. We remind people of these scriptures, we remind people of that future rest, and that courage helps us to continue forward. We also have to remember to be encouraged. So we have to be encouraging and be encouraged. Sometimes it's easy to say, well, I'm just miserable. I'm just going to go in my misery and on by myself, instead of allowing ourselves to receive that encouragement from our brethren, to be with each other. Verse 13, but exhort one another daily while it is called today. This is another reference to that song. That means that those promises of God and the things that we are supposed to be doing in preparation for living in the kingdom are still relevant to us today. Whenever we are reading these passages today on God's Sabbath day during his Feast of Tabernacles, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Verse 14, for we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. This means that we are partakers of the sacrifice of Christ and also the promises of Christ. And we have the hope of reigning with him for a thousand years and on into the eternal kingdom of God. While it is said, another quote here from the psalm, today if you will hear his voice, today if we will hear the word of God, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Verse 16, for who having heard rebelled, indeed was it not all who came out of Egypt led by Moses. We have this reminder of the mistakes of the past, those who even saw the miracles of God, who heard the things spoken to them then, and we are hearing them now. And again, we have that difference. We have God dwelling within us and we have these reminders and we can look back at the things that happened before so that we can do better today. Verse 17, now with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. It was because of unbelief. And we see, of course, you know, rebellion, but rebellion is working against God.

Rebellion is thinking that we know better. And that's really unbelief, not believing God at his word, not believing that what he says is good for us, not believing that what he has given us for the future isn't, you know, it's not relevant to us. And we have to, when we read these passages, we have to ask ourselves, do we believe? And not just that we have these nice feelings about the Word of God, but we're willing to act on these things. It's shown, demonstrated in our lives. And God sees our hearts, but he also wants to see it in action in our lives.

Let's continue on here with chapter four. There's a direct connection here. Also another therefore, which means we need to pay attention. Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, meaning we still have hope in the future of this time of rest that God wants to give us, to share with us, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. This does put some godly fear in us, these warnings. They're uncomfortable to think about. It's easier to just go through life thinking everything is nice and easy. I'm doing everything well. We need these reminders, probably more often than we think we do, lest we fall short. Verse two, for indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. So do these words hit us, and are we filled with faith? Do we mix these words with that deep, you know, that deep, firm belief in the things of God? Verse three, for we who have believed do enter that rest. As he has said, so I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest. So we see this connection here, again, between belief and entering into that rest. Entering into the rest.

And we have the opportunity every week to enter into this rest as a type, as a shadow of future rest. When we keep the Feast of Tabernacles, because we believe, we enter into this rest. And we look forward to that future rest, the thousand-year reign, the beautiful, renovation of the world around us, so that it looks how it is supposed to look, and not damaged by, you know, some of the things that people have done to it.

As we continue on here, verse three, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world, it's another reminder that these things began at creation, and the plan was in motion back then. Verse four, for he has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh day from all his works. I love that reminder that God even rested on the seventh day. Of course, this reminds us of that creation of the world, the creation of mankind itself, and shortly after rest. And God rested on that day. And again, in this place, they shall not enter my rest. Reminders, again, of the connection between rebellion and not entering that rest. Verse six, since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience. Verse seven, again, he designates a certain day, saying in David, today, after such a long time as it has been said, today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Boy, this writer of Hebrews really wanted us to remember these things. Don't harden our hearts. Don't repeat the mistakes. Enter into that rest. Sort of repetition here in chapter four. But it's a reminder of the fact that God's seventh day Sabbath, his holy time, is still relevant today. Verse eight, continuing on here, for if Joshua had given them rest, then he would not afterward have spoken of another day. Joshua knew that there was future rest. Not all the people did, but some did. Of course, the promised land is a type of the millennium itself. Verse nine, therefore remains, or there remains, therefore a rest for the people of God. Hope for the future. Verse 10, for he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his. And we see reference here to holy time, ceasing of our regular work.

Now sometimes the Sabbath can be work, effort, but it's a different kind of work, a different kind of effort. It's actually work in service of our brethren in preparing, you know, Sabbath services, educational lessons, reading through the scriptures, worship and praise of God together as a congregation. But we rest. We enter God's rest when we keep his Sabbath holy. Verse 11, let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest. Let's anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. And then we're reminded here of the power of the word of God itself. And again, we have to understand or question ourselves, do we believe this? Has it cut us in our hearts deep so that we are ready to change from the way that we used to be? Verse 12, for the word of God is living and powerful. It's relevant today, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So the writer of Hebrews here is getting into the heart, the work of the heart. What's in our hearts? Verse 13, and there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

And ultimately, we give account to our God. Not to anybody else, but to God. He knows our hearts. And here we're working on our hearts so that our hearts line up with what God has placed before us. Do we seek his kingdom first? Is that our real priority? Have we placed everything else second to the work of God, to seeking his kingdom? And we see through this chapter here that we have to let God define how we spend our time. That's relevant to the Sabbath, to holy time, to the feast. Even what we do in our everyday life outside of holy time. Do we let God define how we spend our time?

And also a reminder here that our God wants us to be successful. He has sent his Son, and his Son has done great things by taking the punishment for our sins upon himself, and he can relate to us. I love hearing how Jesus Christ can relate to our trials, our temptations, the things that we go through.

He's unique in that way. Verse 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Let us hold fast the things that we claim to believe. Let us actually believe them and hold true to those things. Act upon them, not just for a while, but enduring. Verse 15, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore, a great therefore here, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And we are able to go to our God, to actually appear before our Father on our knees through His Spirit in His throne room, and take our needs to Him, and desire that rest. And there's comfort in that. There's a great comfort in that fact. Let's turn to Colossians chapter 2. Hopefully you had that scripture in mind when I talked about the Sabbath being a shadow of things to come.

It's actually where I got that phrase. I didn't make it up myself. I'm not that bright.

But the Word of God is powerful. Colossians chapter 2, we see here a description of of the things that God has provided us with that are a shadow of things to come. They look to the future. And also we have here a reminder of who defines holy time for us, who defines how we worship, where we worship even, as we keep the feast, as God places His name in certain places, and we are to appear before Him. And we see here who defines what we do in life. And an encouragement here that we shouldn't worry about what other people think as far as what's outside of these walls, what's outside there in the world. Those who don't keep the feast and the Sabbath, they shouldn't be defining how we live our life. The Word of God, that's where we find the definition of how we live our lives. Colossians chapter 2 verse 16, a very familiar passage here. So let no one judge you. This is kind of a therefore moment. The Apostle Paul uses that phrase and that concept. So let no one judge you in food or in drink or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths. Don't let anybody else in this world define these things for us. There are so many people out there that say, well, the Sabbath day isn't relevant any longer. It's done away with. It's been nailed to the cross, people say. Why are you still doing these things? And they think that we're still trying to live under the old covenant, but these things are still relevant today. We read about that in the book of Hebrews. The Sabbath, the rest that comes on the Sabbath and with the Sabbath and practicing for the future and those future times of rest are still relevant to us today. So these things are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Jesus Christ has shown us that these things are relevant. These things continue forward. He set us the ultimate example of how to live. Verse 18, we even see here a description of, you know, it seems there were people coming in and trying to tell God's people that they were not to rejoice before him at the feast. They were not to enjoy the blessings, the physical blessings that God has provided us. That's part of entering into his rest during the feast, and it will be part of entering into that rest during the millennium. Of course, us as spirit beings at that time, we won't need the sustenance of food, but it sure tastes good, though. I don't know if we'll still enjoy it. I assume so. I assume so. That's just my hopeful speculation. Verse 18, let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. And we see this idea of false teachers coming in, telling God's people that, you know, to actually be holy, you need to give up enjoyment. You need to give up fleshly things such as eating food. It's not talking about sin, but it's talking about, Paul is talking about the enjoyment of life. Eating and drinking, rejoicing at the feast.

God tells us, he commands us to do that, just as much as he commands us to rest on his holy day, on the Sabbath, every single holy day he tells us to rest, and he commands us at his feast days to rejoice. Verse 19, and not holding fast to the head. So if we are taken in by false humility, by the worship of angels, by false doctrines that don't line up with the word of God, then we are not holding fast to Jesus Christ, who is the substance of things, the substance of these things, the example of what we are to be doing, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. And here's another therefore, an actual therefore this time. Therefore, if you died with Christ, from the basic principles of the world, meaning the old man has died with Christ, buried in that baptismal water, having come up new person, why as though living in the world do you subject yourselves to regulations? Not talking about the laws of God, but talking about man-made regulations. Things that people try to do to, I guess, increase their holiness. Maybe, you know, sometimes people get this idea that if they harm themselves, then they can draw closer to God. Or if they restrict something from themselves, that they can force God to draw closer to them.

In verse 21, Paul gives this example, do not touch, do not taste, do not handle.

And this is connected with the the Sabbaths, the new moon, which is relevant to the keeping of God's calendar, and the festivals, the Feast of God. God doesn't tell us do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, except when we're fasting, but not during the Feast of Tabernacles. He tells us to taste, to drink, to enjoy. Verse 22, which all concern things which perish with the using. These things are temporary, but God has given them to us to enjoy. It says, according to the commandments and doctrines of men. Do we listen to the commandments and doctrines of men, or do we listen to the commandments of God? Verse 23, these things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Refraining from enjoyment of life doesn't stop people from sinning. That's what Paul is saying here. Keeping the Word of God, that is how we stop from sinning. We do the opposite. Instead of sinning, we keep the law. That is how we refrain from sin, not trying to to impose man-made conditions on holy time. The Word of God defines how we are to live, not the traditions of men.

As we read in Psalm 95, we've been called up by our God to celebrate, to rejoice, to remember His holy time, also to remember the relevance of this day, the seventh day of the week.

Not necessarily the fifth day of the feast. That's, you know, that's nothing compared to the seventh day of the week, although it's in the middle of the feast. We're reminded of this holy time that we've been called up to rejoice before our God on. We have to remember the relevance of this day, the Sabbath, also the relevance of the feast, and the fact that these things prepare us for future times. These things prepare us for future times. Last night at the Young Adult Bible Study, we talked at length about our vision for the future. That we need to make sure that we know God's vision for us, His own vision for Himself, for His family, and the fact that He wants us to have that vision as well. As part of that process of holding on to that vision and preparing ourselves to become children of God, we need to refocus our lives. We need to think about what we want our life to look like. That's some of the things that we talked about last night.

What do we want our life to look like? What kind of people do we want to be as we stand before God tomorrow, five years from now, ten years from now?

You can think like 20 years, decades, or maybe even next week, next hour. What kind of person do we want to be in the next hour? And at some point in our life, somebody is going to see how we live. They're going to see where we get our information. Do we get it from Scripture? Are we putting it into practice? Now, we might not be an older man from Africa, from an African village in a maroon jacket, but our story might be told one day. Our own story. What will that story be like?

Will it be a story of triumph after failure? Will it be a story of steady growth throughout life? Will it be a story that is relevant to those around us, that is inspiring to others?

That people can be encouraged by as they are striving to follow the Word of God, to enter into that rest. Regardless of our situation in life, though, that story, we need to think about what that story is going to be like when people hear that story.

Now, we can't control everything in life, and not everything works out the way that we might plan it, but we must have that vision of the future. Regardless of our situation in life, keeping the Sabbath day helps us to hold on to that vision. I have a few points for you if you like points. I figured somebody might like some points here, so here's a few points for us.

On the Sabbath day, this is a reminder that we need to hold on to the Sabbath. That's the first point. Hold on to the Sabbath. That involves keeping the Sabbath day holy, following the command of God. That means assembling together. We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We could add it as, you know, as long as it's not, you know, humanly impossible. We do what we can. We do our best. We also look to the examples of others who have gone through struggles, and those might be very powerful examples, and we might look at ourselves and say, you know what, my situation is not so bad. It's not so bad. Sure, I have to get up a little bit earlier on the Sabbath to make it there. Sure, I have to prepare certain things, but maybe that's better than, you know, riding a bike taxi starting out the day before, climbing on a minibus and hoping that it's not raining, because if it's raining, the roads will be washed away, and I might not make it to church. We also need to remember to serve on the Sabbath day. That's part of holding on to the Sabbath day. That's not the only place that we serve, but it's a training ground for the future.

Secondly, we must hold on to the feast. We must hold on to the feast. The Sabbath is a shadow of the feast. It prepares us for keeping the feast of God. Of course, we're specifically talking here about the Feast of Tabernacles, which we're in the midst of. We must keep the feast of God. We must make plans. We save our tithe. If God has blessed us with an abundance, we're able to help others to keep the feast as well. We also must understand the history and the meaning of the feast, and that helps us to hold on to the future rest and not make the mistakes of those in the past. And again, we must serve at the feast. That's part of holding on to the feast. It's amazing how much more rich the feast is when we serve, when we help other people to enjoy the feast, as much as we're able to, whatever way we're able to serve, find a way to serve. Thirdly, we must hold on to the millennium, the promise of that future rest, the kingdom of God as it begins at that time. We must seek first the kingdom, have that vision in mind always. We must embrace the training that is provided for us on the Sabbath and on the feast days as we prepare for that time. Embrace that training, put it to heart, allow God's Word to change us from the inside out so that we look more like Jesus Christ. And we also must remember the promises of God in our hearts today. That word today rings so true. The Sabbath is a shadow of things to come. The keeping of the Sabbath prepares us for keeping the feast. Keeping the feast prepares us for living in the kingdom of God.