Freed by Jesus!
Have you seen on television the rescue work after terrible
disasters? Rescuers working long hours every day of the week.
But what does God think of this? God's fourth commandment says,
"Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh
day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any
work.. " 1*.
Before we find out what Jesus would do, I wonder have you noticed
how careless people have become about keeping God's ten
commandments?
It is widely known that God commands, "You shall have no other gods
before me." 2*. - yet
many treat others as gods when they think they can pray to them as
well as to God!
God also commands, "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the
form of anything … You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…" 3*. In spite of God's warning don't
many foolishly think the use of statues and pictures in their homes
and schools and churches will help them to worship God?
God's other commands are also disobeyed: "You shall not misuse the
name of the LORD your God.." "Honour your father and your mother…"
"You shall not murder." "You shall not commit adultery." "You shall
not steal." "You shall not give false testimony against your
neighbour." "You shall not covet..." 4*.
The commandments certainly do what they were meant to do - they
show up how sinful and disobedient mankind is to God. 5*.
Only Jesus, the Son of God, could claim to be Holy, never having
broken any of God's commands. 6*. Let us hear from Him about keeping the day of
rest for God.
"On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a
woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen
years. …Jesus .. called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you
are set free from your infirmity.' Then He put His hands on her,
and immediately she straightened up and praised God." 7*.
The synagogue ruler was very annoyed "because Jesus had healed on
the Sabbath". He said to the people, "There are six days for work.
So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."
"The Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the
Sabbath untie his ox or donkey ..and lead it out to give it water?
Then should not this woman, .. be set free on the Sabbath day ..?"
8*.
God clearly teaches us that we should only work six days a week.
But, wouldn't Jesus, who set this woman free on the day of rest,
have been willing to do emergency rescue work even on the day of
rest?
How this woman loved and praised God that she had been freed by Jesus from the power which Satan had had
over her.
Maybe you are still a slave to sin; quite happy to ignore God's
wise commands? Know this! Jesus came to set us free from sin and
evil. 9*. He wants to
do it TODAY, if only you will put your trust in Him to forgive and
save you. 10*.
Read of Jesus' power to set people free in Luke 13, verses
10-17.
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Footnotes. Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Exodus
20:8-11.
2 Exodus 20:3.
3 Exodus 20:4-6.
4 Exodus 20:7-17.
5 Romans 3:20.
6 Hebrews 4:14-16. 1st
John 2:1-2.
7 Luke 13:11-12.
8 Luke 13:14-16.
9 1st John 3:8. Hebrews
2:14-18.
10 Acts 26:18.
Ephesians 2:1-10.
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