Paul says in Philippians chapter 1:
20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
(NIV – Bible Hub)
He says: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”
This is not some kind of exhortation for you to only serve God on the Sabbath. Of course, we know that we ought to serve God whatever day of the week we are able to. But what better opportunity than the Shabbat has been given to man by the Almighty to serve Him? What better opportunity has been given to man to serve God than the day that we are commanded to rest from our labours? How can a person truly begin to live? Paul gives the answer: “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul knew the secret to life. He knew that Yshua the Messiah is the key, the gateway and the embodiment of life itself and that only when Yshua the Messiah was lived for would we truly be able to say that we are alive, at least in the spiritual sense of the word “life.” So then what better way to bring life to our Sabbath than to put Yshua the Messiah at the centre of everything that we do on the Sabbath?
Think of how you can practically put Yshua the Messiah at the centre of your life. What would be the most practical expression of putting Yshua at the centre of your life. Would it be helping others? Would it be preaching Messiah as Paul preached Messiah? Would it be worshipping God by uplifting the Name of Yshua in praise and song? Whatever that practical expression may be is pleasing to God, because He knows that you are doing what pleases Him from your heart.
With our busy work schedules, it is almost impossible for many of us to devote ourselves to worshiping God during the week. Most leave Sunday for worship of sorts at their local congregation. But the unchanging fourth commandment is to keep the Shabbat Holy, by not working on the Shabbat.
This is not law. This is not legalism. This is a discourse on life, because God’s Word comes to bring life, freedom and liberty. No command that ever came from the mouth of God could ever bring anything but life.
Doing the work of the Gospel is not earthly labour. That is why Yshua said of the Shabbat:
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”
(John 5:17)
It’s only when you put Yshua the Messiah first that you truly find life. That is why, if you put Yshua the Messiah first on the Shabbat, you will find life on the Shabbat and Shabbat will have meaning, because where there is life, there is meaning. And only Yshua the Messiah is life.
