Sabbath? Alcohol? Remarriage?

Hi, I'm Dr. Andrew Farley, host of The Grace Message. Got a Bible question, struggling with a personal issue, wondering about a tricky verse? At BibleQuestions.com, you'll get clear, grace-based answers in 10 seconds or less. No fluff, no confusion, just practical, biblical truth. Ask anything, anytime, and experience the power of God's love. Visit BibleQuestions.com. That's BibleQuestions.com, your go-to for biblical clarity. Jesus plus nothing, 100% natural, no additives. Andrew Farley is celebrating your freedom in Christ. Call in and ask your questions at 877-655-6755. That's toll-free at 877-655-6755. By a satellite from Texas, it's The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley. Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Grace Message. I'm Andrew Farley. So glad you're joining us tonight. That number to call, 877-655-6755. Right now, we got four open lines. That means plenty of room for you to get in with your question tonight. Maybe you've got a question about a scripture passage. Perhaps you heard something in church recently, and you're not sure about it. You want to put it to the test. Well, that's exactly why we're here tonight for you. Go for it. Give us a call right now, 877-655-6755. Well, tonight, I wanted to share a lie and a truth. And the lie we're going to address tonight, a very popular lie in religious circles, is that the Sabbath is a day that Christians need to keep. Now, the truth is that Jesus is our Sabbath. He's our Sabbath rest.

We rest from all kinds of religious striving because it is finished. So is it about a day of the week? Is it really about Friday night to Saturday at sundown? Or maybe we fast forward it 24 hours into Sunday and then tell people they can't work on the Lord's Day. But wait, the Bible says that Christians are not under the law, that Christ is the end of the law for all those who believe. We're not under the law, and we're certainly not under the Sabbath, right? But wait, the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. Are we free from those, too? Where does all this shake out? What does it look like when we really understand the truth of God's grace? We're going to talk about it in about 60 seconds. But if you have a question about that or about anything going on in your life, your relationship with God, maybe your marriage, your kids, something going on in your church or your life, that is exactly why we're live right now. That number to join the conversation, 877-655-6755. Whatever the topic, we want to hear from you. We got four open lines, so if you call right now, you'll get in. What if I told you you could stop trying to live the Christian life for God? What if there's nothing to prove? Did you know that's the truth of the gospel? You don't have to prove anything to God. He's already proved Himself to you. I'm excited about this new resource called Nothing to Prove, The End of Performing for God. In this series, you're going to learn all about what it means to stop managing God's mood and start trusting His heart. You get to drop the checklist. You get to quit auditioning for God with that try harder, do more gospel and exchange it

for the real thing. It's all about having nothing to prove because God has already proved Himself fully to you and me. Make sure to request your copy of Nothing to Prove when you give your gift this month to The Grace Message. You're going to love it, and thank you so much for your support. Yes, thank you for your support. We can't do it without you. We're so grateful for you. It is fun to do it with you, so again, you're making it possible for us to say yes to all kinds of new invitations. We've just added a Saturday morning broadcast and a Saturday evening broadcast on SiriusXM because of you and your support. We've also added a brand new outreach that is nationwide. to inmates, inmates in prisons and jails across North America because of you and your generosity. That's what made it possible. If you want to see more open doors, more opportunities, and more of the grace message saying yes to spreading the good news of God's grace, we invite you to give your gift. It takes just two minutes. If you've ever thought about saying yes to the grace message and helping us reach more people, there's no better time than right now. Visit andrewfarley.org and when you do, make sure to request your copy of Nothing to Prove. You're going to love it. Well before the break, we were talking about a lie and a truth and tonight's lie is the lie that the Sabbath is a day that Christians have to keep. Well growing up for me, I didn't grow up in a tradition where we were Friday or Saturday Sabbath keepers, but my wife certainly did, at least in a way. She grew up with no work on Sunday. Now make sense of that one, can you? I'm not sure I can since the Jewish Sabbath was Friday and Saturday.

It was never Sunday to begin with, but somehow her denomination and the movement she grew up in, well they fast forwarded that Sabbath about 24 hours and made it Sunday. All about Sunday. But then it wasn't really that you couldn't work because there were lots of people preparing Sunday school lessons last minute and all that sort of thing. Instead it was you can't have fun. That's right, that's what she grew up with, a twisted message of you can't have any fun on Sunday because it's supposedly the Sabbath. Well remember of course that the Sabbath as indicated in the law, which by the way Christians are not under, right? Well the Sabbath was Friday night at sundown all the way to Saturday at sundown and that 24 hour period there was to be no work that was done in Israel and so this was a command for the Jews under the law in the Old Testament. But wait, newsflash, you're a New Testament believer and most of us listening are not part of Israel anyway. So we were never given the law, we were never put under the law, and we were never obligated to keep a Sabbath. Instead the Sabbath is a shadow and that's why we read in Colossians chapter 2 it says don't let anybody judge you according to a Sabbath day. It says this is just a shadow of the things that were to come but the reality is found in Christ. Now what does that mean? Well the real Sabbath is found every day. The real Sabbath is found all day long every day as we rest in Christ. Now what does it mean to rest in Christ? I keep hearing people talking about this, maybe you do too, resting in Christ, relaxing with God, what does that even mean? Well the gospel is designed to relax you. Have you ever noticed that? Now I'm not talking about the religious movement we've built around Jesus, I'm talking about

the real thing, the gospel itself. Jesus' original invitation was come to me all of you who are weary, you're tired, you're worn out, you're burned out, and I'm going to give you rest. That was his original invitation. Now I ask you, when a person is totally forgiven, what does it do for them? I don't know about you but it relaxes me to know that I'm totally forgiven, past, present, and future, that my sins are gone, that there's no record left of them. That relaxes me. How about you? And then what does it mean for a person to live under God's grace, to not be measured by the law, but instead to be free, to be accepted, to be loved, to be liked? Well that relaxes a person. A person who's loved like that, with no strings attached, and no evaluation, and no examination, and no scorecard, and no clipboard, that causes us to experience that great big sigh of relief because we're at rest in Christ. Now what does it mean that you've got the gift of righteousness, freely given, that you're right with God, that you're off the charts, right with Him, no matter what, freely, as a gift? Well that relaxes you too. So whether it's your forgiveness, or your righteousness, or your freedom from the law, your total acceptance, the gospel is designed to relax you, to put you at rest. And that's what it means to experience the Sabbath rest in Christ today. It's a spiritual rest. It's not about a particular day of the week. You can rest in Christ every day. And when we enter God's rest, we rest from our own spiritual works, the Bible says. We're no longer frantically running around, walking on eggshells, trying to get God to like us. Instead, we're thanking God that He is pleased with us, and He's made us a fragrant aroma of Christ to Himself. Wow. Well, I hope that was helpful to you tonight, and now we're gonna go take some calls. We're gonna start out tonight in Mississippi, and we'll talk with Michael. Hey, Michael, what you got for us tonight?

I see. Well, you know, whether you want alcohol sold in your county or not, that's really an individual vote for you. You have a voice as an American, and you know, what do we know from the Bible? Well, Jesus wasn't outlawing all forms of alcohol. Jesus drank wine. He turned water into wine. The disciples drank wine. Jesus used wine at the Last Supper, even to represent His blood. So the Scripture says, do not be drunk with wine, but it doesn't say don't ever drink wine, and there's a big difference. So it's not gonna make us a more moralistic group of Christians if we outlaw alcohol in our county. That is really your vote, your voice, up to you, your opinion. Some people don't want it anywhere near them. They don't want it near their kids. They don't want the potential temptation at a young age or whatever. They might have their reasons, but if you're asking biblically if there's anything wrong with drinking alcohol, no, unless it's mastering you. Paul says, all things are are lawful, but I won't be mastered by anything. And so is alcohol your master? Is it leading you around like a dog on a leash? Is it causing you to be out of control? Can you say no to it? Well, if you're struggling with it, get away from it. Get away from it, and take any other captives with you. But you're certainly free in Christ to enjoy a glass of wine, and, you know, in concerning local politics and whether you want it sold in your county or your city, that's for you to voice as a citizen there. So I hope that helps some, my friend. We are free in Christ to even give thanks for a glass of wine. That's right. Even give thanks for it. Not just calling it neutral, but even sanctifying it by the giving of thanks. So reach out to us again anytime. Great to hear from you. All right, let's go now to Tina. She's listening on the road. What you got for us, Tina? I have a question regarding faith and how much is necessary for salvation. Like, at the moment of salvation, do you have to, you know, have complete assurance and believe without a doubt that Jesus will save you? I guess I've heard the expression, assurance is the essence of faith, and I'm not sure if that's what that's referring to, that you'll have like a hundred percent assurance to truly have trusted Christ, and if that's biblical, if that's what that's referring to. Okay, yeah. All right,

I hear you. Well, let's talk all about that. There's some nuance there that we can certainly discuss. Now, I've never met a Christian who has a perfect understanding of God and salvation and justification by faith and the Holy Spirit and being born again and all of the ins and outs of salvation at salvation. I've never met a Christian who knew everything perfectly and had zero questions or zero doubt or zero emotional fluctuation. Clearly, you know, when we accept Christ, we're babes in Christ, we're infants. So, you know, how much faith is? It's not really about the size of your faith, because remember what Jesus said. Jesus said faith even the size of a mustard seed is enough. He picked a microscopic seed. He picked a very small seed on purpose because he didn't want to freak you out, Tina. He wanted you to know it's not about the size of your faith, it's really about where you flick it. Just imagine that mustard seed right there in your hand and you're looking down at it. You can barely see it. I might need my reading glasses. And I look down at that mustard... seed-sized faith, and God's trying to tell me, it's not how big your faith is, Andrew. It's where you point it. It's where you flick it. And have you put it in the direction of the grace of God? Do you have your faith in the cross and resurrection? Because the message is real simple. Jesus died for your sins, and he rose from the dead to give you his everlasting life. And do you believe he's Lord? Do you believe he died? Do you believe he died for you? Do you believe he rose from the dead? Did he do it for you? Do you want him to live inside of you? Well, there you have it.

Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. It doesn't say you call on him with perfect knowledge. It doesn't say you call on him with perfect faith. It's just call on him. So it's not something we have to overanalyze or try to quantify or get out a chart or try to check boxes. It is just a simple childlike faith. Jesus said we come to him like little kids. And so I get it. We grow up into big adults, and then we want to analyze and overanalyze and inspect and score everything and measure everything. And the scriptures really encourage us not to do that. Paul says, it means very little to me that any of you examine me. The only one who examines me is the Lord. He said, I do not even examine myself. Paul said that. So I wouldn't overanalyze. I wouldn't examine. The enemy would love for you to go down that road. Let me tell you how that conversation goes, Tina. You start investigating your conversion, and the enemy says, now, Tina, did you say it right? Oh, now, Tina, did you do it right? Now, Tina, did you believe it all the way? Now, Tina, did you cry enough tears? Were you repentant enough? Were you sorry enough?

Did you change your life enough after? Are you sure you were committed? Are you sure you were dedicated? Are you sure you had enough faith? Are you sure you said it right, you believed it right, you did it right? Because, Tina, I don't know. And see, the enemy will go down that road with you, and I've seen people who are occupied for decades with that question. And the answer to all of that is the truth will set you free. It was never about you and your perfect faith. It was never about you and your perfect words. You know, God understands a salvation prayer that's two words long, save me, or save me, Lord. So it's not rocket science. Little kids are saved all the time. They decide I wanna do one thing that's two words long, trust Jesus. Save me, trust Jesus, however you wanna express it. It's an attitude of I'm gonna depend on him, not me. And at that moment, God sees that childlike faith, he sees that mustard seed size faith, and he says, I'm gonna come in, I'm gonna live with you forever. I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you. And over time, your understanding will grow, and over time, your mind will be renewed. But I never had that expectation of perfect faith

or perfect understanding at the outset. You were just a babe, you were just an infant in Christ. Those were your first few moments. So I'll put you back on and see. Does that help some, Tina? It does, and like you said, I mean, a lot of the questions you were saying, like Satan would ask, I have been asking and analyzing. But at the moment of faith, you can have some doubt that mixed in with it, like you don't have to have obvious reassurance. Yeah, I mean, that moment, yeah, that moment doesn't even matter. I mean, to me, that moment is not what it's about. I mean, right now, here you are today, on the road, talking to me. So do you presently believe Jesus is the Son of God? Yes, you do. Do you presently believe Jesus died for your sins? Yes, you do. Do you presently believe he rose from the dead to give you everlasting life? Yes, you do. Have you ever wanted him to live in you? Have you ever opened the door of your heart to him? Have you ever said, save me, or whatever? Have you ever expressed that attitude? Yes, you have. So to me, it's not about some magic moment that you had. I was born physically in 1972, but I don't remember it.

I don't remember that moment. I don't remember what I was doing. I don't remember if I played my part perfectly, but I know that I was born. Well, likewise, I was born again. I'm not even sure I can tell you the exact moment for that, because there were a couple of times when I was a young man that I prayed a prayer, and then I got to understand the gospel better over time. At what point exactly are you born again? Well, some of us don't have any clue. So it's not about that moment, that perfect moment, and that's what the enemy wants you to do. do. Oh, Tina, if you could rewind. Oh, if we could just examine that moment. Oh, if we could just examine your feelings, your emotions, your doubts, your thoughts. Oh, Tina, your thoughts aren't good enough in that moment. Who cares? Who cares? Let it go. That's not what saves you. You're not saved by perfect thoughts. You're not saved by the absence of doubt. You're saved by Christ when he saved you. And the fact that you believe today is all that matters. It proves you're a believer. You're a believer because you believe. So I hope that encourages you. And thanks for trusting us with your question tonight. Reach out to us again anytime. All right. Well, let's go now to Toronto, Canada. We'll talk with Andrea. Hi, Andrea. We got just a minute for you. Hi. Hi. I wanted to find out about second marriages. Uh-huh. Yeah. Like, would it be adultery if you marry again? Okay. Well, only if you're living under the law, because that is what Jesus was interpreting for them. They come to him and they say, hey, you know, what's the deal? There's two interpretations about marriage, divorce, and remarriage. And they ask him, which of these two interpretations are you saying the law really means? And of course, he affirms the stricter interpretation. He tells the Jews who are sitting around, you can imagine them sitting in a circle around him, and there they are resting against the rocks on the hillside, and he's teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. And he says, only, only in the case of adultery, otherwise you can't do it.

And their hearts sink. Their hearts sink. Why? Because the Jewish men of that day, well, they were divorcing their wives because they burnt the toast. They were divorcing their wives because they looked at them the wrong way in the hallway. There was divorce that was rampant, and Jesus was trying to say, you have hardened hearts. And Moses permitted you divorce under one case, and one case only. Now, Andrea, guess what? You're not under the law. You're not under 613 commands of Judaism. You're a New Testament believer. Your faith is in Jesus. I would hope that you understand the basics of the Gospel, again, the death and resurrection of Christ. So, if you're already in a divorce, a place of divorce, and you're single again, are you free to remarry? Yes. You are not righteous by your marital status. I would encourage you to find a believing man, a husband who is a believer and loves Jesus, and that way you share the most important thing in the world. The foolish thing you could do is rush that decision. Go find the nearest man that'll love you, and just marry him immediately. Instead, trust the Lord, and take some time, and go slow, and ask God for wisdom. But as far as what the Apostle Paul says in the New Testament, a close reading of his instruction on marriage and divorce, he's not outlawing divorce for Christians. What he's actually saying in the book of Corinthians, he's telling them, hey, make sure you do it legally. Don't send her away without a certificate of divorce, because that's a cruel move. She ends up in no man's land. She can't get married again. She's had no legal divorce. Why would you do that to her? And a careful inspection of Paul's words there, that's what he's saying. If you have to get a divorce, do it legally. Do it justly. Do it rightly. And as far as marrying again, trust the Lord for wisdom. You are righteous because of Jesus, not marital status. For more information on the broadcast ministry of Dr. Andrew Farley, please visit andrewfarley.org. That's andrewfarley.org. Join us next time as we invite you to celebrate the grace message with Dr. Andrew Farley. This program is sponsored by your generous financial support. Hi, I'm Andrew Farley. I hope you enjoyed today's program. And if you have more questions, whether it's about a Bible verse, a personal struggle, or anything on your heart, BibleQuestions.com is here for you. You'll get clear, grace-based answers in 10 seconds or less. No confusion, no judgment, just practical truth that meets you right where you are. Whatever's on your mind, you'll find real answers rooted in God's love. Visit BibleQuestions.com. That's BibleQuestions.com. BibleQuestions.com

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