2Ti_3:12-17
Our Father we know by thy word :
All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Therefore make us strong.
Let us not be deceived by evil men and seducers

which wax worse and worse, being deceived them selves.

Continue us in the things which we have learned of and have been assured of by thee:
Though we may have from a child known the holy scriptures,
allow them to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Profit unto us All thy scripture given by thy inspiration:
for our doctrine, for our reproof, for our correction, for our instruction in righteousness:
That we may be the men and women of God perfectly & thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Amen

Gal_4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Gal 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The reason this is our introductory verse, is not for the formality of having one, before our Sabbath message and bible study, but it is to focus our thoughts on prior steps which we have taken to get here in this series:

Gal 4:1 …the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

Gal 4:6 …because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Then finally:

Gal 4:8 …when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Which object here is:

Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

To which Paul says:

Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Now every Christian of any orthodoxy knows Christians have always since creation met to worship.

And if one meets to worship, they all “observe days, months, and times, and years.”

Right? YES

No one truly thinks that the week and beggarly element that enslaves men is the ‘observance of time’ by one system or another, that is to say if one is punctual they somehow the object of Paul’s fear.

As to turn our attention on observation of biblical time, by biblical law, as is the most common modern interpretation, as well cannot be in and of itself the answer to this texts meaning by this chapters context, or by the holistic institution of time keeping as YHWH God ordained it since Genesis 1:14 and before.

Hypocrisy?

Christ’s custom was, that ‘he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read’ Luk_4:16

and Paul’s manner was, that he went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, …Christ.. Act_17:2

The Jerusalem council of apostles and disciples of Jesus Act_15:21 endorsed the hearing of the Law, that is that ‘Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. ‘

So is Paul in Gal 4:10 opposing Sabbath usage to regulate the week? Or a New Moon to observe the month, or the sun to observe years and days?

Is Paul opposing the Laws dictated times of assembly by calling them ‘weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Is it this observation of days, and months, and times, and years to which Paul says to the Galatian church, for doing so ” I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. “?

Or is Paul warning about the same thing Jesus, the Jerusalem council and himself are found in support of?

The object of bondage are the men observing “days, and months, and times, and years” and the bondage they are found being involved in is to ‘the weak and beggarly (poor) elements or rudiments of the world. In direct connection with the prior chapter, and the prior verses, the ‘observation’ has no power to bind in and of it self, but the same weakness of the flesh which Heb_7:18-19, Heb_8:7-8 spoke of in this study, and that which Paul addresses in Romans 7-8, and in the books context Paul has been dealing with, bondage to sin by the weakness of the flesh, and that is bondage to the Law of sin and death by the commandment:

Gal_2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

So, in context with Galatians holistic warning, Paul is warning of turning the Law of God of God or a traditional interpretation of the word of God in to an Idol, a vain imagination and empty image in the heart.

Like the god’s which are “no(t) god’- times of worship and assembly can become vain worship no different than an idol. Albeit commanded by YHWH God and his Word, if one believes any part of YHWH’s Law (or a tradition of it) can save them contrary to the words of the WORD itself (true logic), its meaning, can save by a physical exercise, the logic of grace has not been imparted.

It is the purpose of the Law to be revealing sin by the command that sin might become exceedingly sinful, but to place faith in ones own worship by the law in this weak flesh shows a person has fallen from grace, which is taught by the perfection of the Law to be ‘a free gift’ which comes by Jesus Christ. To be bond to your own worship for salvation, or he perfection of your mortal holiness shows bondage to weakness that can not save; This is the servant mentality and heart, not the son or daughter’s mentality or heart which is of love towards Father God in Worship by obedience. This is the crux of the matter, do we do what we do as slaves or children?

You might as well face it here, no matter what days you keep for timing of your life, you are observing days, months, times and years one way or the other, the only question is, Are you principally regulating that part of your life by the word of God or Not?

Some might say ‘it doesn’t matter’, and as stated, that is true in regards of Salvation, God does not save us unto eternal life by our self ‘perfect’ worship, God saves by His free and un-merited grace alone, but in regards to how God wants to be worshiped it is by His Word, so we should worship him as he dictates.

If we can recognize this truth we are called to its obedience by love.

But even with that point established Some might say ‘it doesn’t matter’ what time we worship, and to that I would say if that is so, then the scripture and natural revelation have preeminence and simply forsake the vanity of the pagan based system we are all use to.

The fact is it does matter, to most people, one way or the other, and the inability to prove our worship and timing of it and regulations for it by the scripture is simple undefined emptiness or vanity.

Genesis 1:14’s creation old ordination of ‘signs, season (feasts), days and years’, is established by YHWH God himself, and as we have read in the Heavenly oaths of the New Covenant, If those ordinances of heaven depart then God’s Covenant people’s mercy will be no more, if the sun stops making morning and evening, if the Moon never changes its phase from New moon to new moon, if the constellations of the stars stop in their orderly circuit then you can forget God’s Mercy and Covenant of Grace, for the Eternal everlasting God pledges IF that happens He will forget the Israel of God.

Isn’t it a blessing to hope and have confidence in a the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy? Deu_7:9

It is not a blessing to Know we have YHWH the Eternal God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation? Exo_34:6-7

Even when we forget the ordinances of heaven the LORD himself staples his promises to as faithful witnesses, and we refuse and harden ourselves to his law, God is ever offering forgiveness to those who love him and desire to keep his commandments…even… to a thousand generations.

The wicked heart of Man devises ways to make the words of apostles contradict the words of Moses, and the words of the Son to contradict the words of the Father, even in that ignorance God is willing to forgive and He is Good and upright to teach sinners in the way and the meek to guide in the way of his judgment. Psa_25:8-9 .

Making god’s word and Idol

The 3rd Commandment which is in part quoted here in Exodus 34 and Deut 7, ‘to take the Name of God in vain.’

Today as I go to the words of scripture to prove what the Heb 10 assembly not to be forsaken are as Sabbaths and feasts, and time of solemn assembly and holy convocation, as they always have been.

Even if I am 99% right about how to worship and what day we should assemble on, even in that 1% we lack we are condemned as sinners before a holy, just and Good God, as a result of faulted, failed weak flesh.

If we think that 99% can save us, like a passing grade, guess what?

We fail in proving we know anything about free-grace given in Jesus Blood and it is 100% grade you need in Grace, y to pass into eternal life- which God gives freely but you acknowledge by Faith given you .

If you do not yet have a 100% grade in the free grace of God, you fail as a bond slave… the time is to stay in School until you learn if you be an heir and child.

Because remember the whole of the Sabbath is to be used to remember 2 things …

To make an Idol, our of the word of God is among the most damning things a soul can do, in this case, and in the case of the Galatians in this context, it renders the message of the messenger as vain. If the Grace of Christ is not the source of all faith, and if that faith is not the source of all good works in worship, including the time of assembly by every ‘day, and month, and times, and year’, those “days, and months, and times, and years” even if they be principally from the Scripture, they are idols of the heart, and object of worship that cannot save having no foundation in Grace which emanates from Christ and his Covenant.

Let us always, fill the meaning of the times of worship up with the knowledge of YHWH, as to render it not render worship vain, and to be a people of God’s Covenant, to be Christians who take not the name of YHWH God in vain… we better fill our times up with the knowledge of this covenant of Grace and never let it depart from our mouth, but confess it faithfully.

Why do we keep the days of Assembly that we observe?

Primarily I must say, because scripture and nature sufficiently teaches us the schedule or calendar of Worship as it has been ordained in the Law of God as a pattern of that faithful witness that is present in the heavens.

Let me here enter into why we keep the Sabbath as we do and by the regulative principle and normative elements of natural revelation. Particularly those of the lights of Heaven as per the sun, moon and stars.

This will be the 2nd time I will list off our reasoning in a month for the keeping of sabbath worship and holy convocation by the moon.

But I want to start from what we read in Heb 10 and trace our reasoning all the way back to the tap root of creation in Genesis where we have been reading for our morning resuscitation.

The author of Heb says:

Heb 10:25 do Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

this is for the

Heb_10:24 let(ing) us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

What assemblies are contextually in reference in this chapter?

Heb_10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Heb_10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

So yearly sacrifices in the temple, and we could say all the sacrifices of the law offered year by year. So the write here is specifically thinking of Yearly festivities.

But also he says:

Heb_10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

and so the author also includes the daily offerings.

So here is the point thus far, the author is not looking at the assemblies upon which priestly sacrifices were made from a time perspective but from a significance perspective.

If you would go to:

Num_28:1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Num_28:2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.

And here after here is what is listed:

Daily, Weekly and Monthly

Num_28:3 the morning and evening offering of every day by the priest

Num_28:9 the sabbath offering of every week

Num_28:11 the beginnings or heads of your months or New moons

Passover and unleavened bread

Num 28:16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.

Num 28:17-18 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:

Num_28:25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

First fruits and Pentecost

Num_28:26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:

Trumpets

Num_29:1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

Day of Atonements

Num_29:7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

Tabernacles

Num 29:12 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:

Num 29:35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:

Num 29:39 These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

The shadow of things to come are the sacrifices and offerings, the thing to come is specifically is the body of Christ:

Context link:

Col_2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Just as stated in Hebrews it is stated in Ezekiel and is state here in Col 2, the shadow is the offerings and sacrifices that signified the coming of the literal body, the flesh, that is to say the veil of Christ, the days of worship, rest, and holy convocation is nevertheless the same pattern of worship where in we in absence of the tabernacle and temple system nevertheless offer the calves of our lips in song and praise and knowledge of scripture, and prayer, and doctrine.

While YHWH God by his eternality and perfect will has chosen to remove the alter and sanctuary at this time in that way, he has taught us his divine services and appointed times by it.

Heb_9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Identifying the first covenant as the covenant failed in the flesh by sin and weakness of men, even of the priest them self who die. And if we are accurate in identifying that weakness, failure and fault of flesh in sin to be the reason for the temples destruction and the altars abandonment at this time which is exactly what Solomon and the prophets say, and in Hebrews is confirmed.

Then we agree, that the object that is “decaying and waxing old is ready to vanish away” in us, in receiving the terms of the New Covenant is the Sin, fault, failure and weakness of the flesh in exchange or empowerment of the Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, the Spirit placed in our hearts and minds, the one that causes us as sons and not servants to “Cry Abba father”..

Therefore:

Heb_8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

And so let me make this doctrinal point clear AGAIN, The object of the old covenant, is that which is not in the new covenant, the fault, the failure, the weakness of the flesh and profitableness of it, this is the ‘way of regard‘, “because they regarded me not saith the LORD‘

This is objectively the same as what is said in:

Rom_8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Yet, nothing is said of the YHWH God ordained and appointed times of assembly specified in his Word.

The assemblies in the mind of the write of Hebrews are specified as holy convocations for the people clearly in the Law of God, and yet there are times of worship specific to the priesthood which the common man did not assemble or have convocation upon, such as the daily sacrifice of every morning and evening.

Yet the assembly aspect, and rest which remains for the People of God operate upon the Weekly and Monthly and yearly times of appointments or seasons / fasts of the LORD YHWH.

Remember, all are built upon: “the example and shadow of heavenly things”

Heb_8:5 … as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Exo_25:40, Exo_26:30, Exo_27:8; Num_8:4;

And that is exactly, 2 fold what the appointed times of assembly are established on, Heavenly things.

This is why we can say, with the author of

Heb_4:9 There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest to the people of God.

And yes in your KJV the noun predicate nominative is of the Hebrew word Sabbath in sabbatismos / σαββατισμοςG4520 is used right there.

And this Sabbath rest is the same Sabbath rests spoken of in all of Scripture, which basis is laid out in

Gen_1:14 lights in the firmament of the heaven …for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

This Heavenly reality on earth provides the basis for all our Sabbath worship as revealed in the the Scripture and as hear spoken of in Heb 10 as the times of assembly from

Genesis 2 and Exo_31:13, and all the festivals of holy convocation called by this same name in Num 28 &29, in Exodus 12 &13, 16, 23 Duet 16 & 23 Lev 23.

It is the commandment of God by his Law that hereby regulate our worship, and the first positive command to man in scripture that reveals to man ‘holy worship’ which is by the Sabbath day of Gen 2, and the first commandment of the 10 which directs our worship towards God is the 4th which is Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

The Sabbath Day has many aspects to it, let me recover those out of Gen 2, Ex 20, Duet 5 and Lev 23:

1.its remembrance or memorial (especially as ordained by Heads of homes and thus an assembly of the family and beyond)

it was a day of Rest as the word indicates rest Sabbath
the keeping or guarding of its holiness /set apart status/ its sanctification, or special status
that it is observed after 6 days of work and labor
that it is not a day of work or labor but the Sabbath is indicative of days of rest and holiness
that the Sabbath is “Of the LORD thy God / of YHWH” not of thy self
the Sabbath is to be enjoyed by all under the headship and in the gates of a Christian remembered, or male of the church
that the remembrance of the Sabbath is to focus upon two distinct but equally important truths :
In 6 days YHWH made all things and hallowed the Sabbath
YHWH God of Israel is the God of Deliverance or Salvation, the sabbath is distinctively to remember this.

These memorial aspects of the Sabbath day which YHWH commands in LORDship are why we have holy convocations as appointed by Law in ‘all our dwellings ’:

It is upon these principles of rest and worship that we find: festivity surrounding and upon Sabbath days,

Holy convocation, around, and on Sabbath days, in our time as in Moses time, the prophets and the apostle’s time is how we worship.

So let me say this: To know what worship is to be focused on specifically sanctified on particular Sabbaths, high Sabbath and surrounding high Sabbath, is to know what aspects of Creation and Deliverance we are to focus on and to vocalize together in Assemble, that is in convocation to know what is to be preformed according to Scripture as to reveal to us what is to be remember on any particular season of the LORD.

Sabbath- Rest for what?

That families and neighbors might have time appointed by God to:

Worship together, to call upon his name in praise and prayer, to learn of God’s wonders in being creator, and his mercy in Salvation: That is all of his order, his directions of life, his law of perfection, his will and his might.

We are to worship every Sabbath day in convocation in glory of his salvation and deliverance power, knowing that:

If we are free to worship according the LORD YHWH’s Sabbath- we are free because he has delivered us to be free,
If we are saved unto eternal life by the eternal blood of the Covenant of Jesus Christ- we are saved by the God of Salvation,
If we are Delivered from the bondage of sin and death- we are delivered and saved from it because YHWH God alone hath saved us unto himself to be his particular people of Covenant.

The Sabbath is a day of rest for this reason, and therefore the days specified by Scripture and natural revelation witness to these facts in our heart.

Congregational worship, and congregational life is cultural, and it is utterly dependent upon the scrupulous keeping or guarding of the holiness of the Congressional Sabbath day: Decided upon by the epi-synagogue / ‘Over sight of assembly’ to be the day not for work or labor, not for ‘charitable labor’ in substitution for true worship, but a day for rest unto worship in service, to serve by offerings and sacrifice as the Law permits and commands to be done on those days.

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pt.4 Making an Idol of Worship & Times of Offering and Assembly

“Making an Idol of Worship & Times of Offering and Assembly”

This study will be a doctrinal subject study with a focus on understanding the 4th commandment in ordaining the time of Assembly, and what purpose the Sabbath is to serve in congregational worship according to Hebrew 10:23-25 as a holy day and time.

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Principally Regulated by the Scripture

Part 4

Making an Idol of Worship

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Times of Offering and Assembly

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