Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
The weekly Sabbath was not a day set apart by God for worship. God set apart the weekly Sabbath as a day of restfulness, a day of relief from the curse of labor that He imposed upon Adam and his descendants. The Creator loves the people He created, and He has never oppressed us with excessive religious commandments that add to Adam’s curse of physical labor.
Long ago, Christianity perverted God’s blessing of a day of restfulness into an oppressive day of worship, often enforced by law with severe penalties for individuals who did not comply with their burdensome, religious works. As a result, God’s intended weekly relief from the curse of labor was stolen by men who, as Jesus said, “laden men with burdens grievous to be borne”. He was referring to the religious labor of Christianity and other of the world’s religions that God did not require people to perform. And it was to mankind, cursed by God to labor and then abused by religious men who took away the day of their relief with religious works, that Jesus called, “Come unto me, all ye that labor AND are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.”
All people labor. That is an inescapable curse from God. Jesus did not call to all those who were simply laboring. He called to those who were both laboring as God demanded and who also were “heavily laden”. Those who are also “heavily laden” are those who are looking for God and are trusting men who teach them that if they add to their labor man’s religious works, then they will find the God they seek. Jesus wants to take that load off your back.
Religious men not sent by God have always demanded more religious duty than God does. The Jewish and Christian transformation of the weekly Sabbath from a day of rest from the curse of labor into a day for worship is just one of many evidences of the great difference between the love of the Creator for people and man’s religious abuse of them for their own prestige and glory.