The Consequences of Sabbath Desecration

A sermon preached in Newtownabbey Free Presbyterian Church upon the Consequences of Sabbath Desecration. It is based upon Jeremiah 17:27: But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

This sermon was preached in the light of Mrs Arlene Foster MLA and Mr Christopher Stalford MLA attending a GAA football match on the Lord's day and also Belfast City Council announcing this past week that from 2019 onwards the city marathon will take place on the Lord's day.

Letter sent to Belfast Newsletter & Belfast Telegraph on Sabbath Desecration by Clerk of Presbytery

These commenced with the attendance of high level politicians at a GAA final on Sunday and ended with the announcement that plans were being followed to switch the hugely successful Belfast Marathon from the usual public holiday to God’s holy day

Both developments cause incredible angst and offence to Christians who treasure the special nature of God’s Day. The second will certainly exclude a considerable number of Christians from participation in a race through which finances have been raised for many charitable causes and will radically inconvenience others in their attempts to proceed to their places of worship. Of course in an age when the flagships of respect, tolerance and equality are supposed to be sailing the seas, it must again be noted that such vessels are characteristically lop-sided and capable of travelling in only one direction.

When framing the famous Westminster Confession of Faith, our spiritual forebears felt it necessary to include a chapter on ‘Religious Worship, And The Sabbath Day’ – one that contained guidelines and outlined benefits not merely for professing Christians but for all of society:

“As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto Him (Exodus 20:8,10,11; Isaiah 56:2,4,6,7).”

If it is the genuine desire of politicians in our country to secure the brightest of futures for the citizens of our beautiful country, then showing appropriate respect for God’s Day instead of targeting it for relentless selfish assault would be a good place to begin.

Rev. Ian Brown
Clerk, Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster


Belfast Newsletter - Angst is caused to Christians who treasure the special nature of God’s Day

Feeding the Crocodile & Offending God

This week DUP leader Arlene Foster has notched up an unwanted double achievement. In the same week she has managed to feed the crocodile she vowed never to do, prior to the most recent Assembly election; but much more seriously, she has offended God.

Following on from attending requiem mass for Martin McGuiness when he died, Arlene Foster attended the Ulster GAA final in Clones on the Lord's day.

She has trampled once more over more of our Protestant, Reformed, gospel heritage and treated it as if it were a worthless blessing. If media reports are correct, before this week is out, she will act contrary to the truths of the Gospel, and offend God even more, by attending a sodomite function at Stormont.

Her conduct is objectionable on a number of fronts:

Firstly, Desecration of the Lord's day. The fourth commandment requires us to remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. The Lord's day is not a day for unnecessary employment or for recreation. It is a day to be set aside for worship. We have six other days to engage in these other activities. To desecrate the sabbath day is to steal this day from God and use it for ourselves.

There is a blessing upon sabbath observance, Isaiah 58:13,14: If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The opposite of this Scriptural principle is also true. It was sabbath desecration that finally took the nation of Israel into captivity. You don't need to be a prophet or the son of a prophet to know that it will not go well with any individual, society or nation when they desecrate the Lord's day.

Secondly, Attendance at a GAA football match. This the same GAA which has a notorious history of naming its stadia and competitions after dead terrorists.

Silence gives consent

Letter from Mr Jim Allister, Q.C. MLA in Belfast Newsletter:

Jim Allister: DUP silence is to condone SF-placating tactics

When Arlene Foster spent her Lord’s Day afternoon on a Sinn Fein-placating mission to embrace the GAA, she was representing every single DUP MP, MLA, councillor and, indeed, member. Likewise when she gathers with LGBT activists to celebrate their achievements. Any DUP representative dissenting from the fair inference that it was done in their name needs to be heard. So far I hear no dissent! Silence gives consent.

Sad.

Jim Allister, MLA, North Antrim

DUP councillor berates Arlene Foster for ‘publicly flouting Lord’s Day’

DUP councillor Alderman John Finlay has spoken of his “deep sorrow and indignation” at his party leader’s decision to attend a GAA match on a Sunday. In a strongly worded letter to Arlene Foster, Alderman John Finlay accused her of “publicly flouting the Lord’s Day”.

Read full article here

Do DUP members, supporters and elected representatives agree with Arlene Foster attending Requiem Mass for an unrepentant Terrorist?

News that Arlene Foster, DUP leader and previous First Minister who served alongside Martin McGuinness, will attend his requiem mass raises an obvious question: Do DUP's members, supporters and elected representatives agree with Arlene Foster attending Requiem Mass for an unrepentant Terrorist?

Arlene Foster is attending as DUP party Leader. She is going as the DUP's representative. Therefore it is right to ask the question: Do DUP members, supporters and elected representatives agree with Arlene Foster attending Requiem Mass for an unrepentant Terrorist?

Silence is taken as tacit agreement and consent. Failure to speak out makes those who hold their tongue a partaker in her actions. Is this the 'outreach' envisaged by those who have called for such things in recent days?

Loyalty to the Law of God and the Truth of God is more important than loyalty to any party or organisation.

The attendance of Arlene Foster at this requiem mass for an unrepentant Terrorist is wrong on two accounts. Firstly, it is wrong when it is remembered that McGuinness was unrepentant to the bitter end regarding his IRA past. What difference is there between McGuinness and the Islamic Terrorist who caused mayhem, destruction and death yesterday in London? Absolutely none at all!

Secondly, and even more importantly, it is wrong when it is remembered that the Mass is a blasphemy against Jesus Christ and something injurious to the Saviour's honour and His finished work on the cross for sinners.

It is loyalty to Christ that requires us to declare whether we are in agreement with this or not?