Hugh Stephenson

GM Travis. So awesome see you on The Journey today. We are so blessed to have all the Brusters at Watermark!! Q1. Two places- -Sitting on a dock looking out at a huge swath of salt marsh. Especially in summer. The breeze fills my nostrils with the thick salty smell of the marsh & the mud. God’s opera plays out before me in the sights and sounds of the marsh - mullets jumping, fiddler crabs walking on the mud, marsh birds, seagulls, the water lapping up against the shore. My mind floats back in time to my boyhood. No tasks. No inbox. No human or man made sounds. Only God speaking to me through creation. -In a thick forest I experience a similar set of scenes but from a different opera with a different score and a different story line. In the fall the leaves are dry and you can hear the tiniest creatures walking- squirrels, possums, coons, armadillos. The occasional coyote. Countless birds and insects provide the chorus. God speaks to me in this creation too. Psalm 19:1 Q2. No. A huge struggle. I need a complete re-programing. If I just retire then I’ll have the same problem. It will just look a bit different. Q3. Not entertainment. Just my task list and inbox as I breathlessly chase the lie that “being productive” is the answer. It’s like being a greyhound at the dog track that chases the rabbit but never catches it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv5M7GM9KUc. They’re bred and trained to chase it. But they never catch it. Note that the humans have to stop them after the race is over. I guess that otherwise they race until they collapse. Q4. Elusive. Busyness is a foundational challenge. Even through I crave Jesus’s promise in Matthew 11:28-30 it seems so elusive. A friend notes- If Satan can't make you his...then he'll make you busy.

Hugh Stephenson

Constable has this very helpful comparison that links me back to creation and to Eden. Creation (Genesis 1—2) Tabernacle (Exodus 25—31) The subject of the narrative is the establishment of God's good creation. The subject of the narrative is the re-establishment of God's good creation. The heavens and earth are the arena for the creation of divine-human fellowship. The tabernacle is the arena for the restoration of divine-human fellowship. God's Spirit was the enabling power in creation (Genesis 1:2—2:3). God's Spirit was the enabling power in the construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 31:3, 6). Structurally, the creation account consists of seven acts each marked by divine speech ("And God said," Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26). Structurally, the tabernacle account consists of seven acts each introduced by divine speech ("And the LORD said," Exodus 25:1; 30:11, 17, 22, 34; 31:1, 12). God made Adam and Eve according to a specific pattern: the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Moses made the tabernacle according to a specific pattern: a heavenly reality (Exodus 25:9). The Garden of Eden contained gold and jewels, and cherubim guarded it (Genesis 2:12a, 12b; 3:24). The tabernacle contained gold and jewels, and cherubim guarded it (Exodus 25:3, 7, 18). When creation was complete, God inspected and evaluated all that He had done (Genesis 1:31) and uttered a blessing (Genesis 1:28). When the tabernacle was complete, Moses inspected and evaluated all that was done (Exodus 39:43a) and uttered a blessing (Exodus 39:43b). God rested on the seventh day at the end of the creation narrative (Genesis 2:1-3). God told the Israelites to rest on the seventh day at the end of the tabernacle narrative (Exodus 31:12-18). A fall followed the creation narrative (Genesis 3). A fall followed the tabernacle narrative (Exodus 32). This fall resulted in the breaking of the Edenic Covenant (Genesis 3:14-19). This fall resulted in the breaking of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 33:1-5). God covered Adam and Eve's nakedness (Genesis 3:21). God ordered the covering of the priests' nakedness (Exodus 28:42).

Hugh Stephenson

More from Constable- HOLY SPIRIT- “The expression “filled with the Spirit” appears in Exodus 28:3; 35:31; Deuteronomy 34:9; Micah 3:8, each time with the idea of God fitting the person for a task that serves the well-being of God’s people; this is the likely background for the NT expression; e.g., Luke 1:15, 41; Acts 2:4; Ephesians. 5:18.” HOLY SPACE- “The tabernacle is like no other place on earth. It is built according to a divine plan to reflect a heavenly reality. It is a piece of holy ground. To put it another way, the tabernacle is holy space.” HOLY TIME- “The Sabbath, by contrast is holy time. ... By entering the tabernacle, Israel entered God's house; by keeping the Sabbath, Israel entered God's rest."

Michael Sisson

Re: Ex 31:2 “Betzalel was the grandson of Hur (of the tribe of Judah and ancestor of King David) who, according to Josephus (Antiquities 3:2) was the husband of Moses' sister Miriam. This was the same Hur chosen to go with Moses and Aaron to the top of a mountain to prop up Moses' arms during Israel's first war against the Amalekites (Ex 17:8-13). “Betzalel is clearly a type (or picture) of the Messiah Yeshua. For consider, he was a man ‘called by name’ from the tribe of Judah who was ‘filled with the Spirit of God’ (ruach Elohim) to build the dwelling place of the LORD - an apt enough description of the Lord Yeshua Himself. Moses was said to be so astonished at Betzalel's abilities that he said Betzalel must have been ‘in the shadow’ while he received his visions at Sinai (Betzel El Hayita - ‘you were indeed in the shadow, for you have the ability to create what the Holy One, blessed Be He, had commanded me’). Indeed, the name Betzalel (בְּצַלְאֵל) means ‘in the shadow of God’ (from בְּ [in] + tzel [צֵל], ‘shadow’ + El [אֵל], ‘God’). Moreover, Betzalel's chief assistant was Oholiav (אָהֳלִיאָב), a name that means ‘my Father's tent’ (from oheli [אָהֳלִי], ‘my tent’ and av [אָב], ‘father’). Betzalel was like Yeshua in that 1) he was from the kingly tribe of Judah, 2) he was a young carpenter, 3) he was unusually ‘filled with the Spirit of God,’ 4) his father's name (Uri) means ‘my light’ (James 1:17), 4) his assistant (Oholiav) was from the tribe of Dan (i.e., דָּן, ‘judge,’ symbolizing the legal aspects of the Torah), and 5) it was he (rather than Moses) who actually built the Mishkan, which was the archetypal pattern for the spiritual Temple - see 1 Peter 2:5).” [See Hebrews 3:1-6] “The Torah states that God endowed Betzalel with the Spirit of God (רוּחַ אֱלהִים), and with wisdom (חָכְמָה), understanding (תְּבוּנָה), and knowledge (דַּעַת) - the same attributes used to describe God as the Creator of the Universe (Ex 35:31; Pv 3:19-20).” — Hebrew For Christians https://hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Ki_Tisa/Betzalel/betzalel.html Re: Ex 31:12-17 G-d reiterates the perpetual sanctity of the 7th day Sabbath. That profaning the Sabbath is punishable by death (Ex 31:14-15; see also 2Chr 36:20-21) speaks to the importance G-d places on its observance, and speaks to the futility of relying on our own works for salvation, instead of solely depending upon Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ; see Heb 4:9-11). Those who fail to enter into HIS rest will surely die. Today, both Traditional and even Messianic Jews continue to observe the biblical Sabbath, per their covenantal obligation. It serves as a reminder that G-d is our Creator. (Ex 20:11) It also serves as a reminder that G-d delivered His people out of bondage. (Dt 5:15) Because the Torah functions as a ketubah (marriage contract) between G-d and His bride, Sabbath observance also functions as the wedding ring which reminds His bride of their vows. (Ex 31:13) As gentile Christians, we’re not called to full Torah observance. (Acts 15:19-21) Still, we can spiritually apply all the aforementioned reminders associated with the Sabbath, though we may sanctify the “L-rd’s Day” as the “gentile Sabbath.” (Col 2:16-17) However, we want to avoid arrogantly (Rom 11:18) suggesting G-d has >>>moved the Sabbath to Sunday,<<< lest we besmirch G-d’s character and lay a stumbling block between our Jewish brethren and their entering into the Sabbath rest Who is Yeshua ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ; Heb 4:9-11). P.S.: I would LOVE to see churches holding Friday evening services. I can personally attest to the fruit of biblical Sabbath observance, to the witness it would be to those whom we’re called to make jealous (Rom 11:11), and to the practical benefits of front loading one’s weekend with laying aside the cares of the world and entering into worship. I guarantee it will make your weekend seem longer.

Shawn Foster

Travis, you are the ideal person to speak on this topic. I love your Sabbath Celebration. Imagine if we all did that! Peace, great Peace have they who love God’s laws. Nothing can make them stumble. Thank you and you whole family for leading by example.

Chris Landry

Hi Travis - we've not met but I know Garrett from my days at the Porch. I love your Sabbath Celebration every week. That sounds like a tangible way for the Church to be a city on a hill. So awesome. Keep it up! A couple of things stood out to me: - God says, "....I will sanctify you." (Exodus 31:13) In the middle of all rules about the sabbath or details about the tent, HE IS THE SANCTIFIER, NOT the rules (Law). This was celebrated last weekend. Jesus sanctifies me. Jesus on the cross and His resurrection sanctifies me....period. That's it. - Re: Rest. I was traveling for work in New York City about eight years ago, and I went to Timothy Keller's church. He spoke on Matthew 11:28. He gave me a great paradigm shift around the word "rest"… Specifically in that verse. It's as if Jesus was calling our souls to "rest" more than our bodies. In today's culture, I think our souls need more rest than our bodies. That said, I do believe it is all connected… When we wear out our bodies, our souls can languish as well. Thanks again, Travis, for a lofty goal to open my home every Sunday!

Michael Scaman

The first people who it was said the Holy Spirit was on were the two craftspeople for the tabernacle. God wanted beauty and craftsmanship in his tabernacle. On Sunday and the Sabbath, by tradition Psalm 30 was about the founding of the temple and by tradition read on the the 1st day of the week (aka Sunday) . By tradition many see it also as a song of the founding of the temple pointing to the greater temple, the church and the resurrection where joy comes in the morning. It is followed by the passion Psalm 31 with 'into thy hands I commit my spirit, the work of Jesus making the founding of the greater temple, the church, possible ) Also, regarding the Sabbath and not to minimize it, in Isaiah in the sections after Isaiah 53 there are still appeals to the Sabbath (if you turn your foot from doing what you want on the Sabbath, for example), the eunuch who follows my Sabbath as another and yet the ultimate Sabbath is resting in the work of Jesus on the cross. Nowadays I prefer the phrase that John the apostle used 'the Lord's day' for Sunday. The only named day that communion was given at was Sunday in Acts when Eutichus (name meaning luck in a providential sense in Greek fell)

Amy Lowther

1. Revelations 4:11, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Hebrews 3:4 are examples of verses which express God’s spirit and God’s creations. 2. My life is restful because God helps me make choices in everything and comforts me if I mess up. God helps me rest and be full of energy for each opportunity I have in life. 3. Yes. 4. Sitting down, propping my feet up, listening to or reading God’s word, and considering how I will use it in daily life helps me feel rested. Having several restful activities is most possible when I schedule and make choices using God’s guidance.