Our Hebrew Heritage Series
Sabbath: The Rest is Up To You
September 30, 2012
Chester FBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A At the beginning of the month, Dr. Bill Nye (90's , Bill Nye the Science Guy TV program), warned parents not to teach their children creationalism/intelligent design.
1 In an online video released on September 4, 2012, he urges parents not to pass their religious-based doubts about evolution on to their children.
a He said in the video:
Denial of evolution is unique to the United States. I mean, we're the world's most advanced technological—I mean, you could say Japan—but generally, the United States is where most of the innovations still happens. People still move to the United States. And that's largely because of the intellectual capital we have, the general understanding of science. When you have a portion of the population that doesn't believe in that, it holds everybody back, really.
And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need people that can we need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems.
It's just really hard a thing, it's really a hard thing. You know, in another couple of centuries that world view, I'm sure, will be, it just won't exist. There's no evidence for it.
b 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:1 (NASB)
2 In the fossil record insects have remained relatively unchanged/unaffected by evolution.
a Roaches, Silverfish, Dragonflies look the same.
aa If they did evolve then they are covering their tracks really well.
bb Bombedier Beetle shots out 212 degree liquid to defend itself.
* Enzymes & Hydrogen Peroxcide/Hydroquinone solution mix inside the body of the beetle.
* Stored in two different chambers, even if inadvertantly mixed, no explosion because both contain an inhibitor.
* When the beetle defends itself it releases an anti-inhibitor allowing the substances to react.
* This insect couldn’t have evolved gradually; had to start in its complete form in order to survive (blow up)
b Modern fish are similar to their fossil cousins (Coelacanth Fish)
aa Until 1938 this fish was thought to be extinct . . . until they caught one!
bb Anglerfish (Light from its head, attracts smaller fish, chomp!)
* If the light wasn’t developed from the start, the anglerfish would have starved!
* Light is made by mixing Luciferion & Luciferase: produces no heat and scientists/chemists cannot duplicate the effect.
* Also, live 1 mile below the surface (2,000 PSI), created to live in that environment from the start . . . from the beginning.
c Mammals also show God’s workings in nature.
aa A giraffe has an incredibly large/powerful heart to pump blood to its brain.
bb Theoretically, when the giraffe lowers it head blood vessels in its brain would rupture due to the large heart.
* In its neck, the giraffe has valves in its arteries limiting blood flow to the brain when its neck is downward - - other valves equalize blood pressure so the giraffe isn’t light headed when it raises it head.
* No evolution was possible!
B 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Gen 2:2 (NASB)
God created the universe, earth, and everything else over the course of six days: establishing the seventh day as a day of rest. Sabbath means “to rest.”
1 Not that God needed to rest (By His nature He is indefatigable: He doesn’t get tired!)
a He rested to set a principle for the created order.
aa He knew that every seven days His children would need to be recharged, revived, refreshed, rejuvenated physically, mentally, and spiritually.
bb Every seven days your heart rate slows down: rests. That’s why you nap on Sunday!
b God’s intent for establishing the Sabbath was to have His people remember that God is the reason they (or anything else) are here.
8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Ex 20:8 (NASB)
11 "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. Ex 20:11 (NASB)
16 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.'17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed." Ex 31:16-17 (NASB)
aa Before the Law was every given to Israel, God had made the Sabbath the day of rest.
bb While the rest of the world slaved, labored seven days a week, Israel was to trust God.
cc Set aside one day every week for fellowship with the Creator & family, rest (The Sabbath.)
2 The Sabbath was also a day for Israel to remember how God had taken them out of slavery in Egypt
15 'You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day. Deut 5:15 (NASB)
a In Egypt there was no holidays, easements, rest, Sabbath.
aa The Sabbath is a weekly holiday/feast.
bb 1 The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying,2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: 3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings. Lev 23:1-3 (NASB)
b The Sabbath reminded the Hebrew Children where God had brought them from, out of, chains He broke.
I Jesus, being Jewish, celebrated the Sabbath.
A 16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor . He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives , And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed,19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord ."20 And He closed the book , gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing ." Luke 4:16-21 (NASB)
1 Jesus observed the Sabbath in a synagogue, just as the early church/disciples would have
14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. Acts 13:14 (NASB)
4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. Acts 18:4 (NASB)
a In Synagogue there would be an order of service that included a reading from the Torah (Law) & a reading from the Prophets.
b Customarily, the last reader was allowed to speak/give a sermon.
aa Jesus preached to the congregation and guess what? Not everybody liked His preaching!
bb v.22 “speaking well of Him”; v.28 “filled with fury.”
22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" Luke 4:22 (NASB)
28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; Luke 4:28 (NASB)
cc Anytime the message of Jesus is preached it will bring controversy
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18 (NASB)
2 Either Jesus was a liar, deceiver or He is the Messiah. (If He wasn’t, there isn’t one coming!)
B The Rabbis had perverted the Sabbath with a list of rules/ regulations that took the delight out of the Sabbath.
1 i.e.,: Could only walk so far, couldn’t cook, move anything from one place to another.
a (Ox in ditch on Sabbath, allowed to give it water/food but not allowed to pull it out.)
b IL. Israel today on Sabbath you can’t push a button on an elevator.
2 Jesus didn’t agree w/ every detail of every rabbinic attitude of the Sabbath observance.
a He tried to bring balance to their perspective by reminding them
27 Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 (NASB)
12 "Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Ezek 20:12 (NASB)
b God intended the Sabbath to be received as a bride/royality.
aa Jewish Sabbath use best cup (Kiddush), candlesticks, tablecloth.
bb The Sabbath was to be a very special day.
II Some Christians mistakenly call Sunday the “Christian Sabbath.”
A Sunday is never mentioned in Scripture one time, but Sabbath is. (172 OT/ 59 NT)
1 1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. Matt 28:1 (NASB)
2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.1 Cor 16:2 (NIV)
a In Scripture, the days of the week are counted in their relation to the Sabbath/seventh day/Friday night to Saturday night.
aa 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Gen 1:5 (NASB)
bb Sabbath was from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
b By setting one day out of seven apart, the church/believers honor the God of Creation.
aa 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Eph 2:10 (NASB)
31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezek 18:31 (NASB)
26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezek 36:26 (NASB)
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Psalms 51:10-11 (NASB)
bb 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5-6 (NASB)
He formed in my mother’s womb (born of water) and He brought me new life in 1978 (born of the Spirit.)
2 He has set me free!
a My chains are gone, laboring in my good deeds, trying to be good enough . . . OVER!
b Redeemed me, Restored me, Liberated me.
B Every seven days we’re reminded of the importance of interacting with God/family.
1 Too many Believers have forgotten to make the Sabbath a delight, joy.
a Not received as a pleasure, blessing, delight.
b 1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalms 122:1 (NASB)
2 We should be glad to come to the House of the Lord to Worship our God.
a This is where it all happens on Sunday!
aa When people are gone/miss what do they say when you invite back?
bb “I know I need to go.” or “I know I need to come back.”
b This is where the family of God meets, friends of Jesus gather.
3 The closest relationship we should have is with God’s people
10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Gal 6:10 (NASB)
a Our CEO is the Prince of Peace and if you can’t find peace in God house where will you find it?
b It’s not one person’s responsibility to maintain peace in the church.
aa 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you . Eph 4:31-32 (NASB)
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! Psalms 133:1 (NASB)
bb It’s everyone’s job.
4 You should be glad to come to church because this is where the Power of God’s Word is preached with unction.
a Singing, prayer, choir, Sunday School . . . are all alright, but there is power in the Word.
b When you come to church you get a Word from God.
aa It is a power, saving, delivering, eternal, everlasting, unchanging Word.
bb He deserves our best every time we enter the building!
c Our praise, reading Scripture, play instrument, sing, give an offering . . . it should be our best we can give Him.
aa We give our best because He gave His best, only begotten Son.
bb Crucified on Calvary, hung from the 6th to 9th hour.
cc Cried, “It is finished.” (Given my blood, life, paid the price)
dd 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NASB)
d Jesus was the prophetic fulfillment of the Sabbath.
aa (Hebrews in the NT written to “Messianic Jews”)
9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Heb 4:9-10 (NASB)
bb Spiritual rest is the prophetic fulfillment of the biblical observance of the Sabbath.
cc Every week God reminds us that there is a Kingdom coming! Payday someday! Our lives are nothing but a tent but He has prepared for us a mansion!
e 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28 (NASB)
aa I’m gonna give God my B-E-S-T because He has given me R-E-S-T!
Conclusion:
A parishioner called his vicar up, very angry on a Monday morning. "Rector," He said "I tried to get you on Friday, but you weren't in."
"It was my day off," the vicar replied.
"Day off?" the parishioner stormed. "The Devil never has a day off."
"Well, if I didn't have a day off," the vicar rejoined, "I'd be just like him!"
There is so much to do in the Church that we are in danger of burning out -- if we try to do it in our own strength.
The NT changes several things about the Sabbath. However, it is wise to observe a time of rest and worship.
A couple of years ago Roman Catholic Cardinal John O' Connor took on Little League baseball because many altar boys were missing Sunday services. He wanted them to stop having games on Sunday. Oh, the firestorm it started. The issue played out on the pages of the New York Times, where parents let the archbishop know exactly what they thought.
R. Albert Mohler Jr gave this commentary: "The erosion of Sunday observance is the result of a decline of Christian conviction. A loss of faith preceded the encroachment of the little leagues. If enough parents refused to let their children play on Sundays, the leagues would have to adjust. Committed Christians know Sunday is the Lord's Day- the day set aside for the worship of God. The Lord's Day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and looks back to his atoning death as savior. A secular society has no use for a day of worship. The problem is a lot bigger than the archbishop thinks."
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My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
