NOTE TO READER:
**There is a fairly brief, yet somewhat in-depth fill-in-the-blank Bible study immediately following this sermon. I included it in hopes that it may help fellow Christians who are not Sabbatarian to better understand some of this sermon's content. There is a statement in this message that is directed at some fellow SDA's who tend to ascribe more importance to "keeping the right day" than they do to maintaining a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This statement is not intended as a judgement of Christians who do not keep the Biblical Sabbath. Obviously, we Seventh-day Adventists believe that the seventh-day of the week remains the Biblical Sabbath and that we should still keep it holy as God commands us in the Fourth Commandment. Throughout Scripture God ascribes great importance and meaning to this day He made holy at creation. We believe the Bible teaches that faithfully keeping this commandment (as well as the other nine) is a matter of faith, trust and obedience to God. Time and again in Scripture, God Himself closely connects this day with worship and our relationship to and with Him. We do not consider the Sabbath a "burden" but an incredible blessing that safeguards and nurtures this most important relationship. Jesus Himself says that "the Sabbath was made FOR man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27) I hope the study helps to clarify some questions you may have, but please feel free to message or email me should more clarification or Biblical support be desired. Thank you in advance for reading this message and doing the study a with mind and heart set on loving, obeying and pleasing our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ!
Remember the Sabbath Day
Over the years, I’ve preached quite a few sermons on the Sabbath. So the easy thing for me to have done would’ve been to simply pull up one of those sermons that I preached 10 years ago and preach it again. But I didn’t want to do that. I felt compelled to try and prepare a new message that would help us, as modern day SDA Christians to understand a key aspect of the Sabbath that maybe has been obscured by our tendency to sometimes hyper focus on other important aspects of this commandment. I also want to reinforce some other common truths most of us already know, but perhaps only superficially. And on top of that, I face the usual challenge of trying to get this done in about 30 minutes or so.... and I think we all know in our heart of hearts, that’s not going to happen..
I’m sure some of you feel that way too, but take heart, I know I’ll never cover everything I want to cover today, so I’ve printed out a fairly comprehensive Bible study I put together about 12 years ago dealing with the Sabbath. Most of what I can’t cover today will be in that study. If you would like one and will read and or share it, you’re welcome to pick one up on your way out.
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
This particular commandment stands out from the other nine in several important ways, but the most obvious way it stands out, even to the most casual reader is found in the very first word: “Remember.” We Adventists love to point out the fact that the Sabbath commandment, which is the only one that begins with this word, happens to be the only commandment most Christians have forgotten…
And of course, this is a very interesting and important point, but I believe that word, remember, has much more to do with the Sabbath than even most Adventists realize. I’d like to begin this morning by sharing with you 5 important messages I believe God wants us to constantly remember through the proper keeping of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. And these messages are all about Who He is in relationship to us. In saying, “Remember the Sabbath day,” God is really saying this:
"Remember that I am your Creator." It says in verse 11 “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day..”
This tells us that Almighty God is the Creator of the entire universe—including you and me. By saying that, He’s also saying that we are not merely the product of a long line of accidental and random evolutionary events; He is saying, remember that I intentionally and lovingly created you in my own image, and as David joyfully exclaimed, we are fearfully and wonderfully made! The Sabbath should remind us of that. Genesis 2 records that God created man of the sixth day of creation week, and the very next day He blessed and sanctified the Sabbath and gave it to humanity as a beautiful gift to be enjoyed every seventh day. And in doing so He gave us a powerful safeguard against the insane deception that we “created ourselves” through the process of evolution— and that’s exactly the message that is constantly being forced upon and believed by a large part our society today that has “forgotten the Sabbath day, to keep it holy..”
Romans 1:18-20. 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse……
Vs 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
27 In the same way men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
How sad it must be for people who don’t realize this incredible truth that God is our Creator! As we look at much of our society today we see another indisputable truth; if men and women believe that they are merely highly evolved animals, you can be sure they’ll tend to behave just like animals….
But if we understand that we are sons and daughters of God, our lives will usually reflect that..
With the Sabbath day and the commandment to keep it, God is saying “I am your Creator; and all that you see, I have created for you.”
And when God says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” He’s also saying..
"Remember that I am your Provider and you can and must trust me supremely."
Verse 10 says, “The seventh day is a Sabbath (rest) to the Lord your God, on it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.”
A command to cease working? A command to rest? Believe it or not, this is perhaps one of the hardest commandments for some people to obey...It was hard for me to begin with because I felt like I was “wasting” precious time that I could be doing something productive.... I eventually realized it was the best investment of my time I could possibly make...
Exodus 16:4-28; (about 2-½ months after they left Egypt) 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions….(He gave them bread enough for each day.. Jesus taught us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread”)
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Forgetting that God is our Provider is a real danger—especially today. Not working from sunset Friday evening to sunset Saturday evening is a weekly testament to our faith in God as our Provider—even if our faithful observance of this commandment costs us our job.
So, the fourth commandment was given us by God to help us remember that He is our Creator, He is our Provider..
"Remember that I am your God"
Ezekiel 20:20 “Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.” Again, in verse 19 of this commandment He says “the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord(Yahweh) your God…”. (The Sabbath has always been an identifying mark of God’s people because it reflects faith and trust in the power and providence of our Creator God..)
"Remember that I am your Redeemer"
Deuteronomy 5:15 “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out with a mighty hand and outstretched arm.”
Matthew 11:28-30. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Hebrews 4 refers to the Sabbath rest we find in Christ from the penalty and the power of sin.
"Remember that I love you, and because I love you, I want uninterrupted quality time with you." This is the main reason for our refraining from work on the Sabbath—not just from going to our jobs, but also from cutting the grass, cooking labor intensive meals, shopping, watching secular television or doing anything else that would distract us from spending this quality time with God.
Leviticus 23:3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but?the seventh day?is?a Sabbath of solemn rest, a?holy convocation. You shall do no work?on it;?it?is?the Sabbath of the?Lord….”
This is talking about corporate worship. The Sabbath is a day when God calls us to come out of the world, gather around His throne of Grace and worship Him—together. One day soon, Jesus is coming back to take His people out of this world sin-polluted world up into heaven where we’ll all worship in the glorious Presence of God, and that will be and experience beyond anything we can ever imagine. Our Sabbath days in this world should be a taste of that which is to come.
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV84): “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”??—
I hope we can agree that the Sabbath is not about a long list of things “we can’t do,” If you get nothing else out of this message today let it be this: the Sabbath is about protecting and growing our faith, and our relationships. The enemy of our souls seems to have focused his efforts on attacking our relationships. I can’t turn on my television or pick up my phone without seeing how he is causing strife, conflict, anger, jealousy and division throughout our society. And maybe he’s even causing it within your very home..
The devil loves attacking our human relationships, and I don’t know if you have recognized it yet or not, but he is really going after the nuclear family today! Don’t believe the lies you’re hearing; this alphabet movement is all about—destroying the traditional, God ordained family….. And along with that, naturally comes the destruction of morality and faith. Again, this is why God gave us the Sabbath—to protect not only our relationship with Him but our other relationships as well. Think about it, when Christ returns to this earth to take His redeemed to heaven, the only thing besides our transformed characters that we can take with us is our relationships…
I want leave you with one of many promises of God connected with His people who faithfully keep His Sabbath day holy, who recognize Him as their Creator, as their Provider, as their God, as their Redeemer and as the Lover of their souls.
Isaiah 58:13,14 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the LORD has spoken. “
[Appeal, close]
**Introduction to Study
As we prepare to embark on an in-depth study of the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment, it is fitting that we review the importance, relevance and authority of the Word of God as it relates to this, as well as any subject of a spiritual nature. Therefore, the first three sections of this study will quickly review the authority and relevance of the Holy Scriptures, the role of the Holy Spirit in our understanding of the Scriptures, and the Ten Commandment Law itself.
Please take the time to find these passages in your Bible. This is important for two reasons: so that you can see context and properly fill in the blanks. You will notice that this study is composed predominately of Scripture references. I intentionally tried to keep my commentary to a minimum, as I believe that the Scriptures typically do a great job of speaking for themselves.
In order to ensure that your study time will be fruitful, please take a moment and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you seek God’s will for your life through His word…
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
*Please note that the majority of scriptures quoted in this study are taken from the New International Version of the Holy Bible. The reason for this is to avoid losing meaning of passages by the sometimes difficult to understand 16th century English used in the King James translation. Although, I do encourage you to cross-reference with the KJV and more literal translations such as the NASB or the NKJ versions for accuracy. If you don’t have access to a NIV bible, the answers are provided at the end of this study. But please take the time to look the Scriptures up in whatever version you have in order to see context as well as to compare translations.
I. The word of God is to be our final authority in spiritual matters
A. Psalm 119:105 “Your _________ is a ___________ to my feet and a light for my __________.”
B. Isaiah 8:20 “To the ________ and to the ____________! If they do not speak according to this ___________, they have no light of dawn.”
C. John 17:17 “____________ them by the truth; your _________ is truth.” ( to “sanctify” means to “make holy”)
D. 1 Peter 1 23-25 “ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring _________ _____ ________. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the_______________ of the Lord stands _______________.”
E. Isaiah 55:10,11 “ As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my ________ that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me ______________, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
F. Deuteronomy 4:2 “Do not _______ to what I command you and do not ____________ from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.”
G. Revelation 22:18-19 “18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone ___________ anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone ____________ _____________ from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
H. Romans 15:4 “For _____________ that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the ______________ we might have hope.”
I. Acts 17:11 “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and ________________ ________ _____________ __________ _______to see if what Paul said was ______________.”
J. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 “2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with _____________ ______________. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears __________ to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the____________ and turn aside to ___________.”
If we don’t have a working knowledge of the Bible, how can we be certain that what we believe is “sound doctrine” and not “myth”? This is vitally important, especially when Paul indicates that there will be a great number (even the majority) that turn away from truth.
K. Romans 10:17 “Consequently, _________ comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the _____________ of Christ.”
Section Summary: As clearly indicated by the above Scripture references, the word of God should be absolutely key in building our doctrinal beliefs, and more importantly, our relationship with the Lord. Our opinions, preferences, and what we had been taught before we were able to “study to show ourselves approved” should in no way compromise our quest for Truth. We should remember, that when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, He didn’t respond to his temptations with, “its the general consensus…”, “it seems to be most popular…”, or even, “I’ve always believed…” Rather, Jesus answered as we are to answer, “IT IS WRITTEN...” (Matthew 4:4)
The Bible itself is clear that our beliefs must be according to the holy Word of God, “for man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) If this is the framework upon which we build our relationship with the Lord, we cannot go wrong. But if not, we are subject to being misled and deceived. Review 2 Timothy 4: 2-4 once again.
If we indeed resolve to build our beliefs and doctrines on the infallible and unchanging truth as disclosed in the Word of God, the apostle Paul says, “… we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14)
II. Only through the Holy Spirit can we discern spiritual truth.
A. 2 Peter 1:20,21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of ________, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the ______________ ________________.”
B. John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of __________, comes, he will ___________ you into all ____________. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
C. John 17:17 “_____________ them through the _________; your(God’s) word is __________.”
D. John 4:24 “God is Spirit; and His worshipers must worship in __________ and in __________.”
E. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 says that without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we cannot discern spiritual matters—they will be “________________” to us. On the other hand, if we ask for and accept the guidance of the Spirit, we have the “___________ of Christ”
F. Romans 8:1-17 the Law is Spiritual and can only be obeyed by those who are Spiritual. The “unspiritual or carnal man” cannot submit to God’s Law.
G. John 8:31,32 Jesus says, “If you hold to my _______________, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the ___________and the ____________ will set you ____________.”
Section Summary: As we can see by these passages, the leading of the Holy Spirit is vital in our understanding of the word of God. Not only did He inspire the writers of the Bible, but He also gives spiritual insight to sincere seekers of God to help them understand what they read. (this is why I asked you to pray for that guidance before you started this study) It is only by the Spirit that we will be able to discern spiritual truths that will fortify our relationship with Jesus Christ.
III. Ten Commandments
A. Deuteronomy 9:10 “The LORD gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the __________ of ___________.” (notice that the Ten Commandments were inscribed in stone to symbolize their perpetual nature.)
B. The Ten Commandment Law is the only part of recorded scripture that God Himself both spoke and physically wrote. (Deuteronomy 9:10)
C. John 14:15 Jesus says; “If you _______________ me, you will obey what I ___________________.”
D. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus sums up the commandments by saying that there are two great statutes; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. The first four commandments address our relationship with ___________ (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart..) and the last six address our relationship with our ___________________ (“Love your neighbor as yourself”) Although, the fourth commandment actually is beneficial to both relationships.
E. Romans 3:20; 1John 3:4 The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to help us to recognize sin.
1. In Romans 6:1-4 Paul tells us that Christians should be “dead to ________” and should rely on the Spirit of God to help us overcome it.
2. Hebrews 10:26,27 warns us against consciously sinning against God or breaking His law: “If we deliberately keep on _______________ after we have received the knowledge of the _____________, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
F. Please read Jeremiah 31:31-33; Romans 2:13,15
The Ten Commandment Law was at the heart of the Old Covenant AND the New Covenant. The Old Covenant relied on the “supervision” of the Ceremonial Law and the blood of sacrificial animals. The New Covenant is the Moral Law (Ten Commandments) “written on our hearts.” As Christians of the New Covenant, we are guided by the Spirit as we exercise the obedience that comes by faith. (Romans 1:5)
Section Summary: At this point, we need to make one thing in particular as clear as possible: Keeping any or all of these Ten Commandments will NEVER be a means of salvation for anyone. That includes keeping the Sabbath, as it is obviously one of the commandments. As Christians, we are saved by grace through faith as noted by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Because the majority of the Christian community no longer keeps the biblical Sabbath, Christians who do keep it are often accused of trying to work their way to heaven, or of keeping the Sabbath as a means of salvation. These accusations couldn’t be farther from the truth! Like all of the other commandments, I personally resolve to keep the Sabbath because I am saved, not in order to be saved. To the best of my knowledge, no one who refrains from worshipping idols, having extramarital affairs, or committing murder have ever been accused of trying to work their way to heaven because they obey these statutes. Keeping the Sabbath holy is no different.
IV. Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment
A. Institution of the Sabbath: Genesis 2:1-3 “ Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God _______________ the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he _____________ from all the work of creating that he had done.”
1. It is important to note that the Sabbath was instituted at creation. It was blessed and set aside as holy before sin darkened the earth. It was instituted while everything was still “very good” as a memorial to God as Creator—not only of heaven and earth but also of you and me.
2. The Sabbath institution and commandment both point to God as the Creator. See Revelation 14:7.
3. It is also important to realize that the Sabbath day was blessed and set aside as a holy day of rest thousands of years BEFORE the first “Jew” came into existence. Based on Scripture, we can never rationally believe that the Sabbath was made only for the literal Jews.
4. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.
B. The Commandment: Exodus 20:8-11 “_______________ the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the ________________ day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he _______________ on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (the Hebrew from which “sabbath” is translated is “shabbath” which literally means “rest” or “cessation”)
C. A Sign: The Sabbath is a sign between us and God that He is the One who makes us holy and that He is our God. (Exodus 31:12,13; Ezekiel 20:19,20)
1. Exodus 31:12,13 “Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. 15 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.’ When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.”
2. Ezekiel 20:19,20 “I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 20 Keep my _____________ holy, that they may be a _____________ between us. Then you will _____________ that I am the LORD your God.” (read also verses 11 -21)
D. “Spiritual Israel”
1. Galatians 3:26-29 “You are all sons of God through __________ in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither ___________ nor _________________, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are _____________ seed, and ______________ according to the promise.”
2. Galatians 3:6-9 “Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are __________________of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who have ______________are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
It is important to realize, that although the good news of the Gospel message was entrusted to the Jewish nation first, its promises and blessings were always intended to go to “all nations.” This allows anyone to become an heir to the promises by faith in Jesus Christ. All believers, both Jew and Gentile, are part of “Spiritual Israel.”
V. Was the Sabbath commandment abolished at the Cross?
A. Although the Sabbath was instituted before sin and is one of the few Commandments that would still be relevant in a world without sin, many still insist, that because of Christ’s sacrifice for sin, we no longer are “bound” to this commandment. This is completely contradictory to both common sense and biblical principle. To change or disregard the fourth commandment is to take away from God’s Holy and perfect Law—even when He sternly warns us not to! (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18,19)
B. Colossians 2:13-15 “13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was ______________ us and that stood ______________ to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
1. Many (who do not wish the keep the Fourth Commandment) will insist that the Apostle Paul is saying that the Ten Commandments were “nailed to the cross” and are no longer binding for Christians. To suggest this is to read something into this passage that simply is not there! First of all, the Ten Commandment Law is not “against us.” The Ceremonial Law, on the other hand, which was included in the Book of the Law actually was said to be a witness “against us.” This law was placed beside that Ark of the Covenant rather than inside where the Decalogue resided. (Deuteronomy 31:24-26) This statement alone proves that the Moral Law is not the topic of this scripture. On the contrary, James calls God’s Ten Commandment Law “perfect” and “the Law that brings freedom.” (James 1:25) Obviously, Paul is referring to the Ceremonial Law, which we will discuss in more detail later. Secondly, if the Ten Commandment Law was taken away or abolished, there would be no more sin and no further need of a Savior! ( see Matthew 5:17,18 and also refer to III-E of this outline)
C. Colossians 2:16,17 “16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (NRSV)
1. Here, verse 17 defines verse 16. All of these things listed by Paul are “a shadow” of what was to come in Christ. These things were set in place BECAUSE of SIN, in order to lead us to the Savior. We’ve already established that the seventh-day Sabbath had absolutely nothing to do with sin, but is a memorial to God as Creator. Sin did not exist when God instituted this holy day. The “food (food offerings), drink (drink offerings), festivals, new moons and other “sabbaths” are all ceremonial in nature, and are part of the Old Covenant rituals that foreshadowed the coming of Jesus. There were seven ceremonial sabbaths (not seventh-day Sabbaths) that were associated with the festivals. These days were called “sabbaths” because they were to be special “rest days” of the festivals.( Sabbath means “rest”) These ceremonial sabbaths can be found in Leviticus 23. These “sabbaths” were no doubt what Paul was referring to in his letter to the Colossians—these particular “sabbaths” met their fulfillment at the cross.
D. Paul mentions the same subject in two of his other epistles. Galatians 4:10; Romans 14:5
Section Summary: In order to understand what the New Testament is saying, we must have a working knowledge of the Old Testament as well. Such is the case with the Sabbath and the misunderstanding that it was somehow “abolished” or “nailed to the cross.” It is important to note, that if we read passages of Scripture with preconceived ideas and teachings in mind, we tend to automatically ascribe to them the meaning that has already been suggested to us. The serious student of the Word of God must take the initiative to prove what he believes—not with only an obscure verse or two, but with the entire weight of what the Scriptures teach about any given subject.
VI. The Sabbath: A Matter of Trust and Obedience.
A. Please carefully read Exodus 16.
1. Notice that these instructions were given to the Israelites BEFORE God gave them His Ten Commandments .
2. Verses 4 and 5 say, “4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will ____________ them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
3. During their captivity in Egypt for 400 years, the Israelites we not allowed to keep the Sabbath because they were slaves. The Sabbath was no longer practiced or taught as a result of their captivity, but God “reintroduced” His people to the importance of the Sabbath when He brought them out of captivity.
4. The Israelites were to gather manna for ___________ days and on the sixth day they were to gather _______________as much.
Section Summary: It is very interesting that God used the manna and the Sabbath together to “test them” and see if they would follow His instructions. The Israelites were to trust that God would provide for their needs “day by day.” God gave them the manna (which was a type of Christ) and He also gave them the Sabbath. The miracle of preserving the manna gathered on the sixth day (Friday) so that it could be eaten on Sabbath, clearly showed God’s ability to provide for His children on that Holy Day in which they were not to burden themselves with the work of earning a living. This day was set aside for a much higher purpose.
VII. Some of God’s promises concerning the Sabbath.
A. Isaiah 56:6,7 “And foreigners who _____________themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the ______________ without ______________________ it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them __________ in my house of prayer.”
B. Jeremiah 17:24,25 “But if you are careful to ______________ me, declares the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but___________ the Sabbath day _____________ by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited ________________.”
C. Leviticus 26:1-5 “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. ”‘Observe my _______________ and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. ”‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.”
D. Isaiah 56:1,2 “This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. ________________is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who ____________ the ____________________ without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” (VS 6: “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.”
Section Summary: The above passages are only a few of many in which God indicates the vital importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. It is NOT the DAY that is reverenced but GOD in the day. While it is true that God is omnipresent and “in” every day, His blessing and setting aside the seventh day was both specific and purposeful. Through THIS DAY our RELATIONSHIP with Him, we will be nurtured and strengthened.
VIII. What does Jesus say about the Law and the Sabbath?
A. Matthew 5:17-19 “17 “Do not think that I have come to _____________ the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to ____________ them. 18 I tell you the truth, until _______________ and _______________ disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the ____________ until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who ______________ one of the least of these _____________________ and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
1. Jesus makes it clear here that He did NOT come to do away with the Law of God but to FULFILL it. In fact, He warns us not to break even one of the least of them or to teach that they are no longer applicable to our lives.
B. Mark 2:27,28 “27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for __________ not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is ________________ even of the Sabbath.””
1. Here Jesus explains that the Sabbath was made FOR man—it was to be a blessing and not a burden. (the Pharisees and Teachers of the law had attached many MANMADE rules to the keeping of the Sabbath.)
2. The word from which “man” in this verse is translated is the Greek word, “anthropos” which means literally, “mankind or human kind.” If the Sabbath was made for the literal Jews only, then surely Jesus would have said, “the Sabbath was made for the ‘Jews’ and not the ‘Jews’ for the Sabbath.”
C. Matthew 12:1-8 “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is _________________ on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is _____________ of the Sabbath.”
D. Matthew 12:9-12 “9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do ___________________ on the Sabbath.”
E. Matthew 24:19,20 Speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem 40 years after His death and resurrection, Jesus has this to say, “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the ______________________.”
Section Summary: Jesus couldn’t have been more clear about the fact that He didn’t come to abolish the Ten Commandment Law, nor did He come to “de-sanctify” the Sabbath. Although, we should note that He was very displeased with how the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law had distorted and misrepresented the beauty and blessing of the Sabbath. They did this by adding countless rules and regulations to this day that God had never intended—they even made a law that people couldn’t be healed on Sabbath! In fact, it was this law that they themselves added to the Sabbath that they tried to use to condemn Jesus. Notice Jesus’ response: “Jesus said, “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” He demonstrated this by openly healing on the Sabbath day.
IX. Sabbath-keeping in the New Testament
A. Jesus kept the Sabbath.
1. Luke 4:16 “16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his ______________. And he stood up to read.”
B. Paul and the other disciples never stopped observing the Sabbath after Jesus’ resurrection.
1. Acts 13:42-44 “42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the __________ ___________________. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout _____________ to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 On the ___________ ___________________ almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.”
• If Paul observed Sunday instead of Sabbath, he would have told the crowds that they didn’t have to wait a whole week because “tomorrow is ‘the Lord’s Day’, come back then and we will have another worship service.” He didn’t do this because Sunday was not the new Sabbath. Besides, Paul customarily worked every day except Sabbath, which was still holy. (1Thesselonians 2:9)
2. Acts 13:14,15 “14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the _______________ they entered the ____________________ and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
3. Luke 23:55,56 “55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they ____________ on the Sabbath in obedience to the ____________________.”
4. Acts 17:2,3 “2 As his ________________was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three _____________________days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”
Other examples of Paul and the others observing the Sabbath include Acts 18:4;13:44;16:13
X. What God makes holy, He expects it to be treated as holy.
A. Leviticus 10:10,11 “You are to ___________between the _________ and the ______________, and between the _______________ and the __________; 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”
B. Leviticus 10:1-3 “Now Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the LORD, such as he had ¬¬¬¬¬¬ not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when he said, ‘Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” (NRSV)
C. 1 Chronicles 13:9,10 “9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The LORD’s ___________ burned against Uzzah, and he _________ _____ ____________ because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.”
XI. The Sabbath Must Be Kept Holy
A. Numbers 15:32-36: “32 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found ____________ __________ on the ______________day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must _______. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
B. Ezekiel 20:19-21 “19 I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to ________ ____ ________20 Keep my _____________ holy, that they may be a _______between us. Then you will _____________that I am the LORD your God.” 21 ”‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws—although the man who obeys them will live by them—and they ______________ my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my ____________on them and spend my anger against them in the desert.”
C. Ezekiel 22:26 “ Her priests do violence to my law and ___________ my holy things; they do not _____________between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am _______________among them.”
Section Summary: As we can see by these passages of Scripture, when God blesses something and makes it holy, He is very serious about His people treating it as holy! The Sabbath day seems to be ESPECIALLY important to God. This is true, probably because it was created for the specific purpose of enhancing our relationship with Him. When we treat the Sabbath or anything else He sets aside as “holy” in a common or irreverent fashion, we are “profaning” the Lord Himself. This brings Him great displeasure, and in some degree, compromises our relationship with Him. Notice the penalty God pronounced upon the Sabbath breaker in subsection A. This seems very drastic to us, but we should keep in mind that the same penalty was also pronounced upon the adulteress (Deuteronomy 22:22), and the murderer (Leviticus 24:17) indicating that the transgression of these three commandments were seemingly equally displeasing to God.
XII. Does the Specific Day Really Matter just as long as we keep one?
A. Genesis 2:3 “So God blessed the _____________ day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”
Section Summary: Genesis chapter two tells us that God specifically blessed the seventh day and made it holy. As we will later see in this study, there is absolutely NO scriptural evidence of God “unblessing” the seventh day, or either “transferring” the blessing from Saturday to Sunday. Take a moment and look again at section X, and notice how Adab and Abihu did with the fire what most Christians today are doing with Saturday and Sunday. To them, the two types of fire “seemed identical”, and probably for convenience sake, they took some coals from one of their nearby cooking fires (fire that man kindled) and substituted it in place of the fire that was supposed to have been taken from the Altar of Burnt Offerings, which God Himself kindled—making it “holy fire.” These two young men were well-trained and instructed in the importance of using the correct fire, but they chose not to follow God’s command and were thus punished severely. Although God made both Saturday (Sabbath) and Sunday, He made one for holy use and one for common use. Just as the fire was not “interchangeable,” neither are the two days.
Consider the first test of humanity in the Garden of Eden. There were many trees in the garden, and Adam and Eve were told that they could freely eat of all of them except the one in the middle of the garden, which He referred to as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Are we to assume that there was some sort of mystical poison in that particular tree that would cause Adam, Eve and all of humanity to suffer death? Of course not. But, even if that were the case, could God not have made that tree unobtainable to them? Certainly He could have. But that would have defeated the purpose He had in mind—to test their obedience. I can’t imagine that this fateful tree looked too much different than the other trees in the garden. And I’m sure, that prompted by the deceiver, they couldn’t understand why God came up with this strange commandment. Could it be as Satan suggested? Was God trying to withhold something good from them? Whatever their reasoning, they ended up eating the forbidden fruit.
Their offense seems quite minor doesn’t it? After all, they ate a piece of fruit! But notice how serious of a matter God considered it to be. Although many Christians knowingly and willfully do things contrary to God’s commandments, reasoning, “God will understand..” may I suggest that indeed He does understand. He understands obedience, and it is not for us to second guess His commands.
XIII. The Sabbath is beginning to be “rediscovered”
A. The Catholic Church and many Sunday-keeping Protestant denominations are really beginning to reinforce the importance of the Fourth Commandment. Only problem with this is, without sound biblical support, they are teaching that Sunday is the Sabbath. The reason being that the Catholic Church claims to have the authority to transfer the solemnity and sanctity of Sabbath to Sunday.
1. Cardinal Gibbons, Catholic Mirror, December 23, 1893: “Reason and sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these two alternatives; either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible.”
2. Leo J. Trese, The Faith of Millions, pp. 400: “Nothing is said in the bible about the change of the Lord’s Day from Saturday to Sunday. We know of the change only from the tradition of the church. That is why we find so illogical the attitude of many non-Catholics, who say they will believe nothing unless they find it in the bible and yet will continue to keep Sunday as the Lord’s Day on the say of the Catholic Church.”
3. Saint Catherine Catholic Church Sentinel, May 21, 1995: “The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday…not from any directions noted in the Scriptures, but from the Church’s sense of her own power… People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become Seventh-day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy.”
4. Plain Talks for Protestants, p. 213: “The observance of Sunday by Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic Church.”
5. Pope John Paul II, Dies Domini, May 31, 1998: “In the particular circumstances of our own time, Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.”
B. Even in the secular world, people are finding that a “day of rest” will do wonders for reducing stress in our lives and help us to build stronger family relationships. In the secular venue the day that is kept is of no importance.
Section Summary: As we can see by the quotes above, taken from Catholic sources, they freely and almost “boastfully” admit that there is no scriptural commandment or indication that we should start keeping Sunday holy in place of Saturday (Sabbath). The church claims that she has the authority to change the very Law of God, and that her authority supersedes that of the Holy Scriptures. That is quite a boast!
Speaking of a deceptive power of the last days, Daniel 7:25 warns, “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws.”
By changing God’s Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, both God’s times and laws are changed. This is true because the Sabbath is part of the Law of God that deals with a specific 24hrs of time in each weekly cycle. It should be well noted that to attack God’s Holy and perfect Law is to attack His very character.
XIV. What Does the Bible say about Sabbath and Sunday?
A. The Sabbath is mentioned 63 times in the New Testament (10 times after the resurrection) while Sunday is mentioned a total of only 8 times. 5 of the 8 times the first day is mentioned is simply to document the day in which Jesus rose from the grave (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2;16:9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). Some may presume that the gospel writers were careful to record that He rose on the first day as a sign that we should keep Sunday holy in place of Sabbath. This was not the case. Most likely, the day upon which Jesus rose was carefully recorded in order that all would be aware of the fact that He was in fact in the “heart of the earth for three days and three nights” as He predicted (prophesied) earlier. (Matthew 12:40)
B. The three remaining scripture references to Sunday (the first day)
1. John 20:19,20 “19 On the evening of that __________ day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for ____________of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”
a. This was definitely not a worship service in honor of Jesus’ resurrection. The passage is clear that the disciples were hiding together with the doors locked because of their fear of the Jews, who were even now accusing them of stealing Christ’s body to make it look like He was resurrected (on the third day) like He claimed. Furthermore, at this point the disciples didn’t even believe that He really had risen from the grave! Mark 16:13,14 records, “These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did_________ ________________ them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to _______________ those who had seen him after he had ____________.”
2. Acts 20:7 “7 On the __________ day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps lit in the upstairs room where we were meeting.”
a. It was more than likely Saturday night when this meeting was held. The Jewish day began with the evening first. To the Jews, sunset would be the beginning of the day. Seeing that many lamps were lit, leads us to believe that it was after sunset on Saturday night.
b. Paul was planning on leaving the next day (Sunday) after having visited with the believers in Troas for the past seven days. This is probably why he preached so long.
c. “Breaking Bread”: Even if the disciples were meeting on Sunday, according to the “Gentile day,” many think that the “breaking of bread” is significant proof that this day on which they met was somehow “special.” Acts 2:46 indicates that they broke bread nearly every day; “__________ ___________they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They ____________ ______________ in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…”
3. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should ________ ______________a sum of money in keeping with his income, __________ it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
a. It is clear here that Paul is asking the Corinthians to “set aside” a sum of money on the first of the week. In the original Greek the word “day” does not even appear in the text. This word was added by many different translators. Nevertheless, the passage does not, in any way, suggest an offering “at church.” By setting the money aside the very first (or even first day) of the week, one might assume that it would be less likely to be spent or tied up in a loan to someone else.
C. “The Lord’s Day”
1. Revelation 1:10 “On the _______________ day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…”
There is absolutely NO scripture reference that proves or even implies that Sunday is the “Lord’s Day.” There are, however, many references establishing the Sabbath as being “the Lord’s day”
2. Isaiah 58:13,14 ““If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on ________holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the ________________ holy day honorable…”
3. Exodus 20:10; “but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the ______________ your God.”
4. Mark 2:28 “the Son of Man is ____________even of the ___________________.”
5. It is widely taught, that because Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, Christians should keep the first day holy instead of the seventh day, which is specifically identified in the Ten Commandments and throughout Scripture. Using this logic, should we then consider Friday holy because He died on this day? For without the sacrificial death of Jesus our sins could not have been atoned for. What about the tomb from which He was raised, should we consider that place especially holy? Or Bethlehem, because our Savior was born there? Or even Mary—is the Catholic church correct in deifying the mother of Jesus? Not according to the holy Word of God.
D. God tells us that we will still observe the Sabbath even in the new earth.
1. Isaiah 66:22,23 “22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one new moon to another and from one ______________ to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD.”
Once again, the Sabbath was instituted BEFORE sin (Genesis 2:1-3), so it stands to reason that we would still enjoy its benefits AFTER sin is completely destroyed!
XV. Jesus teaches that God’s commandments should take precedence over man’s tradition.
A. Mark 7:9,13 “9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of ___________ ___________ the _________________ of God in order to observe your own ___________________! 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do ____________ things like that.”
1. Leo J. Trese, The Faith of Millions, pp. 400: “Nothing is said in the bible about the change of the Lord’s Day from Saturday to Sunday. We know of the change only from the tradition of the church. That is why we find so illogical the attitude of many non-Catholics, who say they will believe nothing unless they find it in the bible and yet will continue to keep Sunday as the Lord’s Day on the say of the Catholic Church.”
XVI. As children of the Living God, we should realize that obeying ALL of His commandments will enhance the spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of our lives.
A. Revelation 14:12 “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who _______ ________ ____________________and remain faithful to Jesus.”
B. Peter and the other apostles were right when they insisted; “we must obey GOD rather than man!” Acts 5:29
C. Although most Protestant Christians today believe that only nine of the Ten Commandments are still applicable to our lives, the Bible is clear that ALL the Commandments, even and especially the fourth commandment is central to our relationship with our Creator. And, that to willfully neglect one is to break the entire Law. James says this in James 2:10,11 “ 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”
XVII. How do we know for certainty that our Saturday is the same biblical Sabbath referred to in the Fourth Commandment?
A. Although, over the centuries, days have been added to our calendar, the days of the week have never been affected. In fact, the only calendar change that has occurred since the time of Christ (He most certainly knew what day the Sabbath was!) was made in October of 1582. Eleven days were added to that month, but again, this did not affect the days of the week. In this particular month the calendar read in order; Thursday the 4th, Friday the 15th, Saturday the 16th, Sunday the 17th and so on…
B. Being a Jew Himself, Jesus kept the same Sabbath day as the Jewish people of our day.
C. Any knowledgeable pastor of most Christian denominations will tell you plainly that Saturday is the biblical Sabbath…but—they’ll be quick to add, “ it was changed to Sunday in honor of the Lord’s resurrection…”(the problem with this assumption is that there is no Scriptural evidence to support this theory—it is based solely on tradition.)
XVIII. When exactly do the Sabbath hours begin and end?
A. Genesis 1:3-5 “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was ___________, and there was __________________—the first day.”
1. Notice that with every day of creation, the evening part of the day came first.
2. Luke 23 tells of the women who went to see where Jesus had been laid as the sun was setting on the first “Good Friday.” The bible says, that instead of embalming their Lord after sunset, that they “went home and rested according to the commandment.”
B. Jesus was Jewish, and the Jews continue to celebrate the same biblical Sabbath from sunset Friday evening to sunset Saturday evening. It has never changed.
XIX. How do we “Keep the Sabbath Holy”?
A. Exodus 20:8-10 ““Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any ___________, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your ______________ or __________________, nor your animals, nor the alien ___________ __________ _________.”
B. Isaiah 58:13,14 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you ________________on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a _____________ and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going _________ ___________way and not doing as you _____________ or speaking ___________ words, then you will find your joy in the LORD…”
C. Amos 8:4,5 “Listen to me, you who walk on helpless people, you who are trying to destroy the poor people of this country, saying…..When will the Sabbath be over so we can bring out wheat to sell? (NCV)
D. Nehemiah 10:31 “31 “When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will ________ __________ from them on the Sabbath..”
E. Nehemiah 13:15-22 “15 In those days I saw men in Judah __________ ________________ on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the _____________. Therefore I warned them against _____________ food on that day. 16 Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this _____________ thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this ______________ upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” 19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was _____________. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and ____________ _______ ____________ in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.”
F. Matthew 12:9-12 “9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do ___________________ on the Sabbath.”
Section Summary: “Keeping the Sabbath” is just short for “keeping the Sabbath Holy” which implies that this day is to be, first of all, recognized as holy because God made it holy. It was set apart from the other six days of the week as a memorial to God as Creator. We are called to reserve this day to worship Him and acknowledge His special presence in the Sabbath by living that day according to the special instructions and principles that He has given us in His Word. In addition to a day of worship, it is to be a day of rest and reflection. No unnecessary work is to be done during the Sabbath hours. Buying, selling and worldly entertainment should be avoided.
By keeping the Sabbath holy, we re-focus our priorities and recharge our spiritual batteries for the coming week ahead. Though we should spend special time with God EVERY DAY, He went to great lengths in order to encourage us—to command—us to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…”
If we trust God enough to obey this commandment as instructed, not only will we receive the promises we learned about in section VII, but we will also find that our relationship with Him will naturally become much closer and our faith much stronger than ever before.
It is quite fitting that this particular commandment was placed in the middle of the Decalogue, because the first three statutes are beneficial to our relationship with the Lord, the last six are beneficial to our relationships with our fellow man, and the Sabbath commandment is beneficial to both. Again, it’s no wonder the devil is working so hard to cause humanity for forget that which God Himself strongly advises us to remember!
Conclusion: God preserved His Word throughout the ages so that we could learn first-hand His will for our lives, without having to rely on the opinions of others. If this study has accomplished nothing else, I pray that it has somehow motivated you to personally consult the Scriptures in search of God’s will for your life. I am convinced, that if we prayerfully study His Word with a sincere heart and an open mind, the Spirit of Truth will lead us step by step into a more intimate and meaningful relationship with Him Who is the Truth (John 16:13;14:6)
May God richly bless you as you continue seeking His will for your life!
[Answer Key]
Section I.
A. Word, lamp, path
B. Law, testimony, word
C. Sanctify, word
D. Word, of, God, word, forever
E. Word, empty
F. Add, subtract
G. Adds, takes, away
H. Everything, scriptures
I. Examined, the, scriptures, every, day, true
J. Sound, doctrine, want, truth, myths
K. Faith, word
Section II.
A. Man, Holy, Spirit
B. Truth, guide, truth
C. Sanctify, truth, truth
D. Spirit, truth
E. Foolishness, mind
F. n/a
G. teachings, truth, truth, free
Section III.
A. finger, God
B. n/a
C. Love, command
D. God, neighbor
E1. Sin
E2. Sinning, truth
Section IV.
A. Blessed, rested
B. Remember, seventh, rested
C2. Sabbaths, sign, know
D1. faith, Jew, Greek, Abraham’s, heirs
D2. Children, faith
Section V.
C. Against, opposed
Section VI.
A2. Test
A4. Six, twice
Section VII.
A. Bind, Sabbath, desecrating, joy
B. Obey, keep, holy, forever
C. Sabbaths
D. Blessed, keeps, Sabbath
Section VIII.
A. abolish, fulfill, heaven, earth, Law
breaks, commandments
B. man, Lord
C. unlawful, Lord
D. good
E. Sabbath
Section IX.
A1.custom
B1.Next, Sabbath, converts, next, Sabbath
B2. Sabbath, synagogue
B3. rested, commandment
B4. custom, Sabbath
Section X.
A. Distinguish, holy, common, unclean, clean
B. (answers supplied)
C. Anger, struck, him, down
Section XI.
A. Gathering, wood, Sabbath, die
B. Keep, my, laws, Sabbaths, sign, desecrated, Wrath
C. Profane, distinguish, profaned
Section XII.
A. Seventh
Section XIII.
No answers for this section
Section XIV.
B1. first, fear; B1A-not, believe, believe, risen
B2. First
B2C. every, day, broke, bread
B3. set, aside, saving
C1. Lord’s
C2. My, Lord’s
C3. Lord
C4. Lord, Sabbath
D1. Sabbath
Section XV.
A. Setting, aside, commands, traditions, many
Section XVI.
A. obey, God’s, commandments
Section XVII.
No answers for this section
Section XVII.
A. evening, morning
Section XIX.
A. Work, manservant, maidservant, within, your, gates
B. Please, delight, your, own, please, idle
C. (answers provided)
D. Not, buy
E. Treading, winepresses, Sabbath, selling, wicked, Calamity, over, guard, the, gates
F. Good
