E-mail Questions Answered by Ken Smith:
1/11/07     10 Commandments and Sabbath Questions:

Actually the 10 Commandments were both condensed and expanded by our Lord Jesus.
Love God ++++  And Love your neighbor as yourself...  On these two commandments hang all of the LAW and the Prophets...Matt. 22:40   Our Lord said that He come not to destroy the LAW but to fulfill the LAW.  Matt. 5:17.  However, He changed the (unprofitable) external LAW to an  internal law of the heart, Heb.10:16
External Laws do not really change us as our nature is to rebel.  But in Christ Jesus and His Love and Salvation we begin to be changed inside so that we delight to do His will in our heart,  Heb.10:16-22

Our Lord also said that His Sabbath, Matt.12:8, was made for man and not man the Sabbath, Mark 2:27.  Paul's teaches that the day no longer matters, Rom. 14:5-6-23. And the basic concept of the Sabbath is shared by the writer of Hebrews chapters 3 & 4.  So it is not the day that is important but our obedience moment by moment to the Holy Spirit to stay in the "Rest" of our Lord and to cease from our own works, Heb.4:9-10.
Like the sacrifices, there are certain parts of the "LAW" that were fulfilled by the coming of our Lord as the Lamb of God and the Lord of the Sabbath.  Personally I still like to get together for Fellowship on Friday or Saturday evenings.  Probably Saturday evening is best as sometimes gathering may go late into the night and Sunday there is no pressure to have to get up and go to work.  But it is still the 1st day of the week as when the Early Church came together.  So the Early Church went to the Temple on the Sabbath and evangelized and then came together on Saturday evenings for the most part.  It was the only day off for the whole week.

So if you wish to keep the Sabbath unto the Lord, that is Good.  If I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and not follow the "LAW" then that is OK as well.  The Law made nothing perfect in the Old Testament and was nailed to our Lord's Cross.  We have a new mandate in the New Testament (new will) to walk in the Holy Spirit, Heb. 10:16.  Obviously the O.T. is God's Holy Direction to bring us to Christ so the Ten Commandments are Good and in Order.  But to walk in the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus is much better in dealing with our pride, rebellion, flesh,  forgiveness and restoration.

The Ten Commandments tells us of the Holiness of God and that we need a Savior for our salvation.  We are not able to even keep the first commandment.  The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Also we need his forgiveness in our pilgrimage,  1 John 1:9

In my book,  "Keys To The Kingdom"  www.Trinity-Aloha.org   I use the Tabernacle of Moses as a prophetic guide for our New Testament House Church Fellowship.   It fits very will with the Acts Church and seems to be their order of service.  You might enjoy exploring the book, it is all up on the Internet.

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