Episode Transcript
Are you ready to experience the amazing love of God and his plan for your life? Are you curious about the fast fulfilling bible prophecies amidst the rapidly changing world, secrets of prophecy is your gateway to unlocking these exciting realities. Join Pastor David Price on a journey of discovery that will not only transform your life, but will equip you with inner peace and an unshakable hope to face the future. Well, thanks for joining us on secrets of prophecy.
Session number eleven. We're looking at rest for the soul. We're looking for God's antidote to stress in the modern age.
What are we going to learn in this exciting session? We're going to look at five discovery points that summarise our study together. We're going to look at God's antidote to stress, which was the Sabbath. A concept of time.
A concept where God would spend time with his people. So we're going to ask, what is the 7th day Sabbath? A modern answer to secondly, who was the Sabbath day really made to bless? Who was it made for? Number three, should the Sabbath be kept? Actually, after Jesus Christ died on the cross? So we're asking the question, was the Sabbath done away with at the cross? Number four, what promise is made to those who return to Sabbath keeping? And number five, does it matter which day we keep as the Sabbath? All very important questions. Let us pray.
Gracious heavenly Father, we ask for wisdom, guidance and blessing as we open your word in Jesus powerful name. Amen. I'd like to thank you so much for joining us for session number eleven.
It's entitled rest for the soul. If you are wanting to download the study guide, it is right under the title bar under the video that you are watching right now. Well, today's fast paced, multitasking and socially disconnected lifestyle has resulted in unprecedented levels of stress.
You know, it seems as if our world has actually gone mad. We feel a sense of unease about all this, a sense of insecurity and a sense of discontentment and a loss of control over our own lives. So as financial security vanishes, concern over personal debt has increased.
So people are overworking to cope with this situation. In a global survey of business leaders, accountancy firm Grant Thornton reported that stress levels had increased by an average of over 50% in twelve months. The highest stress levels were recorded in Southeast Asia.
Countries such as Australia, 48%, New Zealand, 46%, and the United States of America at 45%. All recorded major increases in work related stress. So personal reflection on any past week will always result in.
It was just too busy, harried housewives are talking about their time crunch. They work through the day, then perform a second shift at home. And quality time in needed sleep has been reduced.
And the stress of modern life is affecting families and relationships. So a Cornell University study revealed that the average american father spends just 38 seconds each day in and quality time with his children. Well, you would expect that there is a breaking point to all of this stress.
Personal health suffers along with emotional stability and even resilience. There's a recent condition called the Atlas syndrome that's appeared. It refers to the feeling of having the weight of the world on your shoulders.
As people look for answers, a variety of solutions to stress have emerged. Harriet Myers, a president of the employer consultant group the Confidence centre, has suggested a number of interesting tactics to enable people to cope with stress. These include, she says, planting a tree, feeding the birds, dancing a jig, taking a bubble bath, tickling a baby, and even the avoidance of wearing of tight clothes.
So in contrast to all of this, we're asking, does God actually have a solution to the current day issues with stress? Does the Bible suggest a practical plan to help us to rest in a restless world? What did Jesus actually say to those weighed down with hard work and personal burdens? In this study guide, you will discover a lost secret that will help you become a closer friend with Jesus Christ and also develop a happy and healthy resilience within this stressful world. So once again, I'd like to welcome you to rest for the soul. Or maybe we'll say rest for the restless soul, because this is the modern epidemic of stress.
Question number one. As we go to God's word, what does Jesus promise to those who come to him when they are tired, weary and stressed out? We go to Matthew, chapter eleven and verse 28. Some people know these words well, where Jesus offered a special form of rest to people.
He said, come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. So, friends, God's offering rest, rest of the soul, spiritual rest, physical rest, emotional rest. And this is coming to us in an amazing package that we are going to discover more about in this session.
So if you'd like some rest for your body, mind and soul, then Jesus invites you to come to him. Jesus wants to spend time with you. In fact, I quality time and regular time and time away from the frenetic pace of life.
So throughout the Bible, God's people always set aside quality time. This included a full day per week, totally dedicated to spending time in, worship and rest with their creator God. And during this day of rest, the people would be refreshed and they'd be rejuvenated both physically, mentally and even spiritually.
Question number two. We're asking where does the idea of a rest day actually come from? And what was it called? We go back to the book of beginnings. In Genesis, chapter two and verse two, God's word says, and on the 7th day, God ended his work, which he had done.
And he rested on the 7th day from all his work, which he had done. So friends, it's very important to note which day actually is God's day of rest. And what did he do on the day of rest? He rested.
Now God wasn't tired, he didn't need a rest, but he was actually setting us an example. Let's go to the fourth commandment in Exodus 2010 where it says, but the 7th day is the sabbath of the Lord youre God. So let's summarise what we're learning.
God actually established a day of rest at the origins of this world. After a busy six days creating planet earth, God rested on the 7th day. The word rest in the Genesis story is translated from the hebrew word Shabbat.
In other places of the Bible, the 7th day is simply called the Sabbath. So it was God who kept the first Sabbath day. And did you know that this was at least 2000 years before the birth of the jewish race? So the Sabbath comes in before the Jews, 2500 years, even before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, and 4000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
In fact, the Bible says the Sabbath is so important, it is called the Sabbath of the Lord your God in Exodus 20 and verse ten, which is of course the fourth commandment. Question number three, what did God do to the 7th day Sabbath to set it apart from all other days of the week? We're in Genesis, chapter two and verse three. Then God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it because in it he rested from all his work which he had created and made friends.
God not only rested on the 7th day, he also blessed it. To bless literally means to make happy. So the Sabbath is not a boring day of restrictions.
It was blessed by God to be the happiest day of the week. God also sanctified the 7th day. To sanctify literally means to set apart for holiness.
God blessed the 7th day and made it holy. God had such a wonderful experience on that first Sabbath day, he couldn't keep it to himself. And so he gave it as a gift to all humanity.
You know, it's important to note that God has not only blessed and sanctified one day, he has never blessed the first day of the week, or the third day of the week, or the fifth day of the week. So please note that God has only ever blessed and sanctified one particular day. God did not bless the act of resting.
He actually blessed the day itself. As a result, no matter how sincerely someone keeps a holy day. And so we need to know it will never be the Sabbath.
So did you know that half the world keeps Friday and half the world keeps Sunday as a worship day? But very few people keep the day in between. So no human being can make a Sabbath or change the Sabbath. This honour is totally in the hands of the creator God.
So, friends, we have just learned that the Sabbath day is God's only blessed day. It's also God's rest day. And in Exodus 16, if you want to study it out, when the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they were tested over whether they were going to keep the Sabbath.
And so the Sabbath and the manna became also a test day. And finally, because the Sabbath is the blessed day, the rest day and the test day, it has to be the best day. Question number four, how do we know the Sabbath remained important to God? We go to the fourth commandment.
In Exodus 28, God said in that commandment, remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. So God actually took the Sabbath day of rest and placed it right into the heart of the ten Commandments, which are found in Exodus 20 and verses two to 17. Of all the things God wanted his people to do, the Sabbath was placed in his top ten list of priorities for loving obedience.
So the Sabbath rest is not just a side issue. Anyone who disregards the Sabbath today is disregarding God's holy commandments. So I want you to notice here that the Sabbath holds together commandments one to four with commandments five to ten.
And that's why I've placed a hinge there to show you how important it is. Commandments one to four show our love to God. Commandments five to ten show our love and relationship with men.
If we have a correct vertical relationship, we'll have a correct horizontal relationship. And in the Sabbath commandment we have firstly the call to worship the Lord on the Sabbath day. And so the Sabbath day summarises our duty and love to God.
And then in the second part of the fourth commandment, it talks about caring for others during the Sabbath day, and that also tells us to treat others well, which is a summary also of commandments five to ten. Therefore, making the Sabbath day. I think the hinge that holds the two tables of stone together, love to God and love to man.
Did you know that the Sabbath commandment is the only one which begins with the word remember? It's a tragic fact that the most forgotten commandment in the world today is actually the Sabbath. In a british survey, over 1000 people were interviewed and asked about the relevance of the ten Commandments. Well, one of the least remembered and voted as most irrelevant commandments was the Sabbath.
Only 4% of people had even heard of it. A global count of those who keep the Bible Sabbath reveals that in this time of stress and hectic lifestyle, less than 1% of the global population actually keep the 7th day Sabbath. It's no wonder God said, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Question five. In the scriptures, what does the Sabbath actually represent? We go to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 20 and verse twelve, where God tells us. He said, moreover, I also gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between them and me that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
The 7th day Sabbath is important because it's rich in symbolic meaning. The Sabbath is a sign or symbol representing God as our creator and redeemer. So if we keep the Bible Sabbath, we are signifying that we actually worship him and he is first in our life.
So here are the four points that we want to share. Number one, that those who keep the 7th day Sabbath believe and trust in a creator God. Secondly, believe in salvation through Christ and not works.
Thirdly, have a living relationship with the Lord God. And number four are actually loyal to the creator. Let's understand it a little bit more.
Let's go into understanding how to believe and trust in a creator God. The Sabbath is a special day for us to worship the creator God, to remember that we were made in God's image and as such, we have great value to God. The Sabbath openly rejects evolution.
It lifts up a powerful creator God who designed and created something from nothing through the power of his word. Secondly, 7th day Sabbath keepers believe in salvation through Jesus Christ and not salvation by works God created or God completed his work and rested on the Sabbath day from his work of creation. We keep the 7th day Sabbath as a symbol of resting from the impossible task of trying to work our way to heaven.
See Hebrews four, nine and ten, 7th day Sabbath keepers, thirdly, also have a living relationship with God. God says the Sabbath is a sign of sanctification, meaning he makes us holy, as in Ezekiel 2012. Just as he made the 7th day holy.
Now God takes the responsibility of making us holy also. And as we spend quality time with him, trusting in his creative power, our lives will become just like his. Did you know? 7th day Sabbath keepers are also totally loyal to the creator goddess.
God has singled out a specific day of the week. He asks us to keep it holy and rest during this time. Those who keep the Sabbath trust God's word and demonstrate their loyalty to him through loving worship and obedience.
Question number six. So was the Sabbath made just for the Jews? We go to mark chapter two and verse 27. Let's have a look at the words of Jesus.
And Jesus said to them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Friends, the language actually says the Sabbath was made for the man. This means the first man and the first woman, the last man and the last woman and every man and woman in between.
So Jesus clearly says the Sabbath was made for Mandev, not just Jews. The Sabbath is the Lord's day. Revelation 110 indeed, Jesus is actually, as he said, lord of the Sabbath.
Mark 228 the Sabbath was made to remind us of our creator God, a God who created Australians, Chinese, Africans and Americans, not just Jews. Did you know that the Sabbath was created thousands of years before any Jews existed and is called the Sabbath of the Lord your God. Exodus 2010 it's not just the jewish Sabbath, it is God's Sabbath.
The Sabbath is a special gift to everyone who wants to have an intimate relationship with him. So question seven asks which day of the week is actually the Sabbath? Let's go to three reference points because we want to actually tie down when the Sabbath actually occurs. Let's go to Luke 23 52, to Luke 24 one and two.
We're actually looking at verses that sort of end the death of Jesus on the cross and what happens to him after he dies on the cross. Luke 23 52 this man went to Pilate. This man here is actually referring to a wealthy jew by the name of Joseph of Arimathea.
So this man went to Pontius Pilate, the roman governor, who crucified Jesus and asked for the body of Jesus. Then verse 54, that day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew near. So that verse tells us that the preparation day is always the day before the Sabbath.
You can cheque that out in Mark chapter 15, verse 42. Also, the preparation day is the day before the Sabbath. Let's have a look at our next verse.
We're looking at which day of the week is actually the biblical Sabbath in Luke 23 52. And we're now going into verse 56. Now, this is speaking about the women who were last at the cross and first at the tomb.
Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oil. So after the crucifixion, they probably went back home and they got embalming materials together. Notice they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandments.
So the sun set before they had finished preparing the materials for the embalming. So it's interesting that if the Sabbath has been done away with at the cross, they don't actually know anything about this because they rest on the Sabbath according to the commandment. If the Sabbath's done away with at the cross, Jesus should have told these women, including his mother Mary, and of course Salome and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
So isn't this interesting? They rest on the Sabbath day according to the commandment. A third reference we're asking which day of the week is the Sabbath refers to the first day of the week, the day of the sun, Sunday. Now, on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. I told you that they weren't able to do the embalming and they would not do it over the Sabbath. The Sabbath was too special and important.
The Sabbath was so important, they would not even break the Sabbath to anoint the Lord Jesus Christ body. So there are a number of points here that are very, very significant. Did you notice the Bible is very, very clear.
So the day before the Sabbath is actually called the preparation day. What about the day after the Sabbath? Well, the day after the Sabbath is actually the first day of the week. Therefore, the day in between this day called the Sabbath, is actually the 7th day of the week.
How do we understand this? Please have a look at the chart on the screen. So, Jesus dies on so called Good Friday. He rests in the tomb on the Sabbath and he rose again on Easter Sunday.
The 7th day of the Bible is actually Saturday. So here are our three days of the crucifixion weekend. And how do we know what day the original biblical Sabbath day was? Firstly, every Easter, Christians honoured the death and resurrection of Jesus.
We know Jesus died historically on Good Friday, the 6th day of the week. We know he rose on the first day of the week, which was Easter Sunday, the day of the sun. And then we know he rested on the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
So we know that he rested in the tomb on the Sabbath day, and that that day was Saturday. Some people have asked, has the Sabbath day ever changed? And the answer is no. The calendar has had extra days added in October of 1582, but the days of the week have actually never change.
It's important to note in Luke's record that the women kept the Sabbath according to the commandment. So the gospel was written nearly 30 years after the resurrection. And if there'd been a change in the day of worship, then this would have been an ideal time for Luke to record it.
Instead, Luke simply confirms the 7th day Sabbath commandment. Well, a simple look into the various languages of the world also demonstrates that Saturday is the Sabbath. In fact, in over 150 languages of the world, the word that is currently used for Saturday actually means the Sabbath.
So let's have a look at some languages and then let's have a look at the word Saturday and see what word is translated Saturday in other religions. In Germane the word for Sabbath is samstag. In Spanish, Sabado or Sabado.
In French it is summody. In Italian it is Sabato. In Greek it is Sabado.
And Russian it is sabota. Portuguese sabato. Indonesian subtitles.
So friends, that is quite fascinating, isn't it, that the word Sabbath is actually the word for Saturday. Therefore we can know which day of the week was the ancient biblical Sabbath day. Did you also remember that the jews have been keeping the Saturday Sabbath of the Bible for thousands of years? A study from any encyclopaedia or dictionary will show very clearly that Saturday is the Sabbath.
Well, religious leaders from all different religions actually agree that the Sabbath of the Bible is actually Saturday. Let me share with you a few examples. Let's go to Catholicism for dummies.
Reverend Tragilio and Briganti write this. So basically, Saturday is the Sabbath day. It's the last day of the week, the 7th day, the day on which God rested after six days of creation.
Even modern calendars have Saturday as the last day of the week and Sunday as the first day of the new week. End of quote. Well friends, what's interesting in recent times is that there's been a change in the calendar.
Not in the days of the week, but actually there's been a change in the starting day. So historically, the first day of the week was always the day of the Sunday and the 7th day of the week was always Saturday. But in our modern calendar system, have you noticed that the day starts or the week starts on Mondays and the week finishes on Sundays? So we're told that this change has been made in order to meet the regulations for businesses that this is now a business calendar.
But it confuses people on which is the original 7th day of the week, because the modern calendars seem to show that Sunday is the 7th day of the week. And while they might be on the calendar, that has not been true historic historically for thousands of years. That's something to think about, isn't it? So let's go to our second quote.
Let's go and see what the anglican church actually says. Quote, is there any command from the New Testament to change the day of weekly rest from Saturday to Sunday? None, says the Anglican Manual of christian doctrine, page 127. Then we go to doctor Edward T.
Hiscoe, author of the Baptist Manual, and this is what he wrote. He said there was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day. But the Sabbath day was not Sunday.
It will be said, however, with some show of triumph that the Sabbath was transferred from the 7th to the first day of the week. Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament. Absolutely not.
There's no scriptural evidence for the change of the Sabbath institution from the 7th to the first day of the week. So it says there's no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the 7th. Two, the first day of the week.
I think that was important enough to actually repeat it. Let's go to question number eight. Which day did Jesus keep holy? In Luke chapter four and verse 16, we find that Jesus came to Nazareth.
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he'd been brought up, and as his custom washing, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. So the King James Version says that as his habit was the new King James Version, the easy Bible we're using for this seminar series says that it was his custom, but either way, it was his custom or his habit or his tradition to worship God on the 7th day biblical Sabbath. So we note that when Jesus was here on earth, he was in the custom or habit of Sabbath observance and attending a worship service on that day.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is our example in all things, particularly in relations to obedience to the commandments. First Peter, chapter two, verse 21 and 22. So did Jesus teach that Sabbath keeping should be observed after his crucifixion? Many would say that he would not.
Well, let's go to his own words. In Matthew 24 20, Jesus says here and pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. What does this actually mean? He's talking about a future time of destruction that was coming when it would be very, very difficult to flee in winter with snow on the ground or on the holy day of rest, the 7th day Sabbath.
While predicting the impending destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus asked his people to pray that they would not need to flee from their enemy on the Sabbath. This destruction took place in 70 ad, many years after the life and death of Jesus, in fact, 39 years after he died. It's clear from this statement that Jesus expected and supported his people keeping the Sabbath many years after his death.
So, friends, Jesus probably made this statement around 30 AD, maybe within a year before his death. Meaning that Jesus Christ, the God man, as the son of God, accesses divine prophetic knowledge to look into the future and predict the destruction of Jerusalem. But in Matthew 24 36, he says no man knows the hour or the day of the second coming.
And in other scriptures he says not even the son. So how can we account for that, friends, Jesus was the God man. Sometimes he acted as a man, and sometimes that had to be overridden as he acted as the son of God and could access divine prophetic information.
I thought you'd find that interesting. Question ten at the top of page eleven. Did the apostle Paul keep the Sabbath and worship on the Sabbath with both jews and gentiles? The answer is in acts of 13, written by Luke.
And the answer is absolutely. So. When the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
Now I just pause and remind you, gentiles are just simply an old word for non jewish people. Now when the congregation had broken up, the scripture says many of the Jews and devout proselytes just means new converts followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God on the next Sabbath? Almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. Did you notice that the whole city came? Friends, the Sabbath was not just for jewish people.
The apostle Paul was a Sabbath keeper. We know that from acts 17 two and acts 18 four. Paul, along with the other apostles, worshipped on the Sabbath day with both Jews and Gentiles.
And if there was no synagogue in town, Paul would meet them in various places. One was by the riverside, where he met with the Gentiles in the town where there was no synagogue. Here he would pray and share the scriptures on the Sabbath day.
Acts 1613. So we see, the Sabbath was certainly the day of worship for the early christian church, meaning the New Testament church. Question eleven.
What promise is made to those who return to keeping the Bible Sabbath. We're in Isaiah, chapter 58, looking at verses 13 and 14. So is there any blessing for those who God calls back to keeping the original day of worship, the Bible Sabbath? There certainly is.
Let's have a look at this verse. This is one of the very, very few verses that actually covers how to keep the Sabbath. Of course, the Jews made hundreds of laws on how to keep the Sabbath, but the scripture has very few.
I can think of five it would be. Is it worship, is it rest, is it fellowship, is it service? And does it involve buying and selling? So let's have a look at Isaiah 50, 813 and 14. God said through the prophet Isaiah, if you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord, honourable and shall honour him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then shall you delight yourself in the Lord and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth.
Friends, this is an amazing promise. God tells us that if we stop neglecting and trampling all over the Sabbath, he'll lift us into a beautiful experience of joy and fulfilment. It will actually feel as if we're riding, flying high and riding on the high hills of the earth.
The Sabbath is a delightful day where we can forget about the stresses of life. We can focus on spending quality time with Jesus and also helping other people. Question number twelve.
On which day will the redeemed actually worship God in the new earth, meaning the time of the kingdom of heaven? Let's go also to Isaiah 66, 22 and 23. Maybe this verse will surprise some people and maybe they've never encountered this verse. For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me, and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord.
Friends, the Sabbath is going to be kept in the kingdom of heaven after the end of planet Earth. So in the new earth, God's people will still come together to worship him on the Sabbath. Did you know the Sabbath was created before man sinned in Eden in Genesis two, two and three? As such, it was kept by God and sinless humanity, that is, Adam and Eve.
God has asked these people to keep the Sabbath throughout the life of this sinful planet. And once again he will experience the Sabbath with his people in the new earthen. Friends, I would like to give you a searching question here it is if we're going to keep the Sabbath throughout eternity, why not begin eternity by keeping it? Now I want to personally testify.
The Sabbath has been a great blessing in my life. Especially I remember when I was studying at university, it was very, very hard to keep up with all the requirements of the course. And so I used to really look forward to sunset Friday night, to sunset Saturday night, which I knew could be a 24 hours period where I didn't have to study.
Neither did I have to feel guilty for not studying during that time. Well, let me just give you some extra information. So let's summarise what we've learned.
So we have in the Old Testament the call by God to keep his 7th day Sabbath. Right from Genesis chapter two, right from Adam and Eve, who kept the Sabbath in the garden of Eden. We also learn in the New Testament that God had a plan for his New Testament church and they also kept the 7th day Sabbath.
And then in heaven, the kingdom of heaven, we will also keep the Sabbath. Now some would suggest that when Jesus died on the cross that the Sabbath was cancelled and it was done away with. But friends, have a look at the pattern here.
God gave his 7th day Sabbath, a day of worship and community with him to Old Testament peoples, to New Testament peoples, and to the peoples who will be in heaven. Why would it be on in the old Testament off in the New Testament and then re establish back in heaven? There's actually no reason for that at all. So God has asked his people to keep the Sabbath throughout the life of this sinful planet.
And once again he will experience the Sabbath with his people in the new earth. Friends, we need to know that going to heaven will be a chance to worship the king, all glorious above, and gratefully sing of his wonderful love. Let me share with you now six key points relating to the Sabbath.
Number one, did you remember that the Sabbath was kept by God at creation and given to Adam and Eve? Point number two, the Sabbath was confirmed again at Sinai in the Ten Commandments. God gives the Sabbath. Two, is ancient people and has to train them in Sabbath keeping in Exodus chapter 16, after they've been in Egypt 430 years and had forgotten how to keep the Sabbath.
And so God reminds them that it is not only the rest day, the blessed day, but it is also a test day. Point number three, the Sabbath was honoured by God's people throughout scripture. Point number four, the Sabbath was exalted by Jesus, he kept the Sabbath.
And then, point number five, the Sabbath was established by Christianity, in Christianity, by the disciples in New Testament times. And finally we learned the Sabbath will be kept for all eternity. Question 13, how should we keep the Sabbath? According to the Bible? We go to Exodus 28 to eleven, which is, of course, the fourth commandment.
And the fourth commandment tells us, remember the Sabbath day to what? That's right. So keep it holy. There's a challenge.
But you know, the Sabbath is the most enjoyable day of the week. It's a day to forget all about the headaches and the stress of work, to spend a full day in rest and relationship with Jesus. And the Bible says that even when work gets really busy, we still need to put God first and keep the Sabbath holy.
Exodus 34 21. Did you realise that the Sabbath is to be kept for 24 hours? It actually starts from sunset Friday night and goes through to sunset Saturday night. See Leviticus 23 32.
The Sabbath is like a park in time, an area of sanity and peace with God while protected from the stress of life. I remember hearing, perhaps some jewish commentators writing about the importance of the Sabbath. And someone had speculated, why didn't God sign his name on the painting when he made creation? Why didn't he put his name somewhere? Well, I guess it's obvious.
If God had written in the clouds made by God, the world created in seven days, made by God, he'd written it in the sky. The clouds would have obviously obscured that. But what if God had written it up on a great rock some way? We can imagine that someone would build a fence around it, no doubt, and start selling tickets.
So God did something very, very significant. Didn't write his name in the sky, he didn't sign his name as creator on a rock. God did something way better than that.
He wrote his name on time. It's worth a thought, isn't it? The Sabbath is a day to spend getting to know God better through studying his word prayer and worshipping at church. It's actually a day where family and friends can meet together and enjoy each other's company in a spiritual setting.
It's a great day to spend in God's nature, isn't it? Or even helping other people who may become sick or discouraged. Jesus gave the ideal example of keeping the Sabbath. He went to worship God at the local church.
He healed people of physical illness and also restored spiritual health to people. See Luke 1310 to 17. All right, let's just take a break for a moment.
I'd like to share with you some extra information that's not shared in the study guide. So here's my question, because many people actually misunderstand the Sabbath. Did Jesus ever break the 7th day Sabbath or did he just break the traditions of the Jews concerning the Sabbath? In order to answer this, we can't speculate with our own opinions.
In this secret to prophecy seminar, we pride ourselves that we go on the word of God. So we have to go to the word of God to answer the question. Because those who accused Jesus of doing away with the Sabbath used the accusations of the jewish leaders against Jesus Sabbath breaking to say that the Sabbath was done away with at the cross and is no longer valid.
So we're going to John chapter five. And this is the story of Jesus and the man. And Jesus said, here in this amazing healing, do you want to be healed? Let's pick up the story.
In John chapter five, verses two and three, God's word says, now there is in Jerusalem, by the sheep gate, a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed, and they were waiting for the moving of the water. That's John five, two and three.
Friends, there was a belief that if the water moved, even by the wind, that an angel had moved the water. And if anyone got into the water, then the first person to get into the water after the so called angel touched the water and moved, or to still disturb the water, that they would then be healed. We're in John chapter five.
Let's read verse five and six. Now a certain man was there, that is, at the pool of Bethesda, who had an infirmity, who had a paralysis 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been in that condition a long time, Jesus said to him, do you want to be made well? Jesus said to the man, rise, take up your bed and walk.
And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked. Now notice when this healing was done, this was done on the 7th day, Sabbath. Friends, I have to ask you, was this an emergency? Was his life at risk? Was he bleeding out? And the answer is, no, he wasn't.
So it's interesting that Jesus actually does a healing on the Sabbath. Jesus is trying to show the jewish leaders that acts of kindness, mercy and to meet human need is one of the great themes of Sabbath keeping. We're in John chapter five, verse ten, sharing extra material with you.
The Jews therefore said to Jesus, sorry. The Jews therefore said to the man who was cured, it is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. So this poor man, he's just been healed by Jesus.
He's going home. He doesn't want to leave his bed behind his bedroll at the pool of Bethesda where it might be stolen. And so they get stuck into him for Sabbath breaking.
We're in John 512 and 15. Then the jewish leaders asked the man who was healed, who is the man who said, do you take up your bed and walk? The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him. Well, we're in John 516 17.
The scripture says, for this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath. Jesus answered them, my father has been working until now, and I have been working. Jesus is just saying that it is totally logical and permissible, according to God, for them to be working on the Sabbath day to bless and benefit humanity.
Well, in John 518, there's a problem. Therefore, the Jews, meaning the jewish leaders, pharisees, sadducees, et cetera, sought all the more to kill him, Jesus, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his father, making himself equal with God. Therefore, they charged him with blasphemy.
We're asking the question, did Jesus Christ ever break the 7th day Sabbath, or did he only ever break the traditions of the Jews concerning the Sabbath day? Well, we're going to skip over to John, chapter seven, verse one. Here we have a second healing. Jesus leaves Jerusalem because they're trying to kill him down there.
And he goes up to the north, to the area of the sea or lake of Galilee. John seven one. After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee.
For he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him in mark three, one and two. And he entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched him closely, the jewish leaders, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him.
Now, friends, this is the second Sabbath healing. It's interesting that Jesus did 21 miracles. And of those, seven miracles were done on the 7th day.
Sabbath. Showing the Sabbath day is a date, a lawful day, to do acts of kindness, deeds of mercy. So you'll notice here that they were watching to trap him, to see if he'd be so called Sabbath breaker.
By the way, there was no rule in scripture that you couldn't heal on the Sabbath. In fact, Jesus said to them jewish leaders, if one of your animals from the farm fell into a hole, boy, you'd pull it out so you didn't suffer any financial loss. What about this person.
Are not people worth much more than many animals? Mark chapter three and verse four. Jesus said to the man who had the withered hand, step forward. Then he said to them, the jewish leaders, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil? To save life or to kill? But of course they wouldn't answer.
The jewish leaders kept silent. So I have to ask you a question now. Was Jesus Christ discussing should we actually keep the Sabbath or do away with it? Or was he actually discussing how we should actually keep the 7th day Sabbath? I think the issue is blatantly obvious.
It's about Sabbath keeping, not whether the Sabbath is in or out. In mark three, six and Luke 611 we read. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Jesus, how they might destroy him.
They were filled with rage and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. So friends, what's going on here? As we have plots to kill Jesus, arising over his determination to rescue the Sabbath from the man made traditions and teaching of the jewish leaders. How bad was their man made traditions and teachings? Well, you might be surprised to find 1521 oral rules for Sabbath keeping alone.
Are these biblical rules? No, they're not. The Bible gives principles for keeping the Sabbath. Principles like a day of worship, a day of rest, a day of fellowship, a day of service, a day where there should be no buying and selling.
The Bible allows us with those principles to tease out how best to keep the Sabbath ourselves. But the Jews have gone much further. They said you couldn't even spit on the grass because you would be irrigating or watering the grass on the Sabbath.
You could not carry a handkerchief in your pocket on the Sabbath. It was carrying a burden on the Sabbath day. So they came up with that.
You had to have a handkerchief sewn onto your garment. Then it wasn't carrying a burden, it was part of the garment. And then you could just blow your nose on your garment.
Friends, can you see that these rules are impractical and impossible to keep. In fact, that's what Jesus said in Matthew 23, verse four. He said, for the jewish leaders, bind.
What sort of burdens? Heavy burdens, hard to bear. And lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. We find here Jesus paying no heed to manmade Sabbath regulations that made the Sabbath a burden.
So let's summarise what we are seeing in these verses. The Jews are saying, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath? Mark 224, Jesus is saying in Matthew 1212, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. The jewish leaders are looking to condemn and criticise and find fault and nitpick.
Whereas Jesus is saying, here are things to do on the Sabbath that are acts of mercy, acts of kindness that meet human need. So friends, can you see the contrast there with those who are finding fault and making their own laws about the 7th day Sabbath? And Jesus saying it is a day to do acts of kindness and acts of mercy? What are we learning, friends? The issue was never whether the Sabbath should be kept. That's not what's being discussed here.
The real issue here is what is lawful and what is not lawful to do on the 7th day Sabbath. I want you to note the condemnation of the Jews. They are absolutely furious.
Note their condemnation. They are saying this mandev, this man Jesus Christ, actually broke our Sabbath rules. Friends, the Sabbath was not jewish.
It was given to Adam and eve thousands of years before Abraham and the Jews. It's not their Sabbath. It's the Sabbath given to us by the creator God.
And so they are claiming too much and they've made rules that exceeded what was given in the scripture. Let's go to John, chapter nine and verse 16. The scripture says in John 916, this man is not of God because he does not keep the Sabbath day.
So they measure Jesus because he doesn't keep their Sabbath rules and regulations and rituals. And so they say he cannot be the Messiah. It's interesting that the Pharisees believed in a coming messiah, but the sadducees didn't.
The point that we can deduce from all of this discussion is that Jesus actually taught us exactly how to keep the Sabbath. How the Sabbath actually should be kept. And he did it at the risk of his life.
This is how important the 7th day Sabbath was. So let me share with you three summary rules of what we've learned in these verses. Number one, Jesus did not break the 7th day Sabbath.
Neither did he try and do away with it. Jesus actually was trying to clean up the 7th day Sabbath from all the jewish rules and regulations. You don't clean up an old shed if you're going to burn it down when you die on the cross, if you understand what I'm saying.
Number two, Jesus taught how the Sabbath should be kept very, very clearly. A day to do good, acts of kindness, acts of mercy, a day to be worshipping God. On point number three, Jesus teaching an example of true Sabbath keeping, initiated the murderous plots of the Jews that led to his crucifixion.
So the question we must ask is, if the Sabbath was that important to Jesus, then how important should the Sabbath be to his followers today? The answer is, friends, that to most people the 7th day Sabbath is not important at all. And it's an absolute tragedy that many people today do not keep the 7th day Sabbath. All right, would you join me in question number 14? Question number 14.
Does it really matter which day is kept as the Sabbath? Does it really matter? We go to deuteronomy, chapter four and verse two. We are told there, you shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you. So very importantly, we are not to add to God's word and we are not to take away from God's word.
We're not to add to his word, we're not to take away from God's word. There are another text here that we need to look at. In acts, chapter five and verse 29.
It says we ought to obey God rather than men. This is an important rule in today's society, that we ought to obey God rather than men. Friends, did you know that there are today some christians who keep Saturday as a holy rest day? Meanwhile, others rest and worship on Sundays.
There are, of course, sincere, loving christians in both groups. However, most people never stop to ask God which day is correct according to the Bible. You may be thinking, well, does it really matter? And you may ask, what is the difference which day is kept? So long as I keep a day, surely it wouldn't matter which day I choose to keep holy.
After all, any day will do. Isn't a day just a day? Or when it comes to manmade memorials or anniversaries such as Anzac Day, Independence Day or even a wedding anniversary, it's vital that they take place on the specific day relevant to the issue being celebrated or remembered. You know, no one would suggest that any day would do.
The Sabbath was put in place not by a human government, but by the Lord God. The Lord God Almighty. This is a specific day that God has established each week for us to think back and celebrate the love and power of our creator God.
Did you know? It's a dangerous thing for us to try and alter and express command of God. When God says something, he means it. In fact, God is always very particular when he asks us to do something or not to do something.
Let's illustrate this better. In the actual garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree except one. God specified the one tree.
Do you remember its name? Its name was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He did not give them liberty to choose any tree they wanted. In the same way, God did not say we could choose any day we wanted as an anniversary of his creation.
We simply demonstrate our devotion to him by our obedience. Now in Eden, the devil came along in the form of a beautiful serpent and suggested to Eve that God didn't really mean what he said. And when it came to eating food, well, it doesn't really matter.
Any tree will do. After all, all trees are alike. What's the difference? A tree is a tree and the tree was not poisonous.
Adam and Eve did not die because of poison. So the issue was obedience, not just a tree. In the same way, the issue of the Sabbath is obedience, not actually the day.
Unfortunately, this whole world today is in the message. It is because Adam and Eve use their own reasoning way above the express command of God. You know, some people believe that the christian Sabbath is Sunday and they keep it in honour of the resurrection of Jesus.
There's not the slightest evidence of this in the word of God. By that reasoning, why not keep Friday in honour of the crucifixion? Good question. So according to the Bible, breaking the Ten Commandments is sin.
Misguided men have attempted to change the Sabbath to Sunday. However, when it comes to the Sabbath day, the best way to honour God is to obey God. Rather than Mendez.
God actually wants you to keep the 7th day, Saturday Sabbath of the Bible and to keep it holy. Our last question in our study guide is question 15. Will God's church of the last days, his last day church be keeping the 7th day Sabbath of the Ten Commandments? At the end of time we go to revelation 1217.
This is a prophecy. We spent all of our last series called the revelation seminar also on this website. And there is a bit of prophetic imagery here, so let me help you understand it.
Revelation 1217 and the dragon was enraged with the woman. So revelation twelve actually tells us who the dragon was. It's a metaphor for Satan.
And the Old Testament tells us that a woman in Bible prophecy stands for a pure virgin or a pure church. So Satan is angry with the pure church and Satan goes to make war with the rest of her offspring. This would mean her descendants who would live in the last days.
You can know them by two points. Number one, they keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ friends. They don't keep 1357 or nine of the ten Commandments.
They actually keep all of the commandments, showing that they are faithfully showing their loyalty to the God of heaven. God's last day church will possess the beautiful harmony of obedience and faith in Jesus. Throughout scripture, it has always been Jesus and the commandments that are the foundation for the church.
Those who are ready and waiting for Jesus to come will be those who love Jesus supremely and demonstrate their love through keeping all of his commandments. One of these commandments is the beautiful gift of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a perpetual symbol of God's creative power and grace for humanity.
So I now want to ask you what you are going to do, because Jesus, the lord of the Sabbath, is asking you this question. In John 1415, it's recorded what Jesus said. He said, if you.
What? That's right. He said, if you love me, you will do the things I've asked you to do. If you really love me, if you really love me, you will keep my commandments.
It would be foolish of Jesus to say, if you love me, keep my commandments. But they're going to be done away with at the cross. How would that affect future christians? It would impact them quite severely because they wouldn't be able to keep the commandments.
There's three points to remember. There's three summaries of our Bible study. Number one, that God made and kept the Sabbath himself.
The Sabbath comes from God. It doesn't come from the Jews. It comes from creation.
Point number two, the 7th day is Saturday, and that day is the sabbath of Jesus. That is the day that he actually kept. 7th day of the week is Saturday.
We know that from the order of the days of the crucifixion and the burial and resurrection of Jesus. Number three, the Sabbath is very important because it represents God as our creator and as our redeemer. I'd just like to remind you that when Jesus had finished that seven days of creation, he rested from his works on the 7th day Sabbath.
Then when Jesus finished dying on the cross, he also rested in the tomb over the 7th day Sabbath, from before sunset, Friday night to past sunset, Saturday night to the first day of the week. So friends, it's interesting that God rested at the end of creation, and Jesus rests as he finishes recreating man through the gospel and salvation that's given to us through the death of Jesus Christ. So let's now have a look at what our response is to this amazing Bible study.
Do you desire to rest in God's creative power and strengthen your relationship with him through faithfully keeping the Sabbath day holy. I'm hoping that some of you will say, yes, I'd like to keep that day. I'd like to start keeping that day holy.
That 24 hours period is a stress breaker and would really help us with our mental health and our physical health and our emotional health. Well, let's think now through some relational questions. Why do you think the Sabbath is so important to God? I'm sure there are many, many different answers to this question.
One thing I was thinking about was that the Sabbath is so important to God because he actually uses the 7th day Sabbath as a day to get together with us. It's a meeting point. It's not which day of the week, it's coming back to an appointment.
It's an appointment with God, and that's only made on one day. If you turn up at the doctor and it's not your appointment day, then you're wasting your time. God has made an appointment day with us.
It is the 7th. Question number two. In what ways can you prepare for the Sabbath during the week? I think a lot of people have not really studied the fourth commandment.
They don't really know what it says about remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy and about not working on the Sabbath. And I think it's worthy of rereading the fourth commandment and thinking about ways in which we can enter into that beautiful physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional rest. Question number three.
How can you ensure the Sabbath is seen as enjoyable and not just a list of do's and don'ts? Well, it depends on whether we're just trying to take the fourth commandment off the cold tables of stone, or whether it's written within our hearts, and it's something we want to do out of love. I love what David wrote in Psalm, chapter 48. See it there on the screen? He said, I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.
Friends, that means that we are living out the life of Jesus within us. Christ in you. Colossians 127, the hope of glory.
Let's finish off where we started our five discovery points. Number one, what is the 7th day Sabbath? A modern answer to. You should know all the answers.
Number one, the answer is that it's a modern answer to our epidemic of stress, our epidemic of overwork, of burnout and breakdowns. Question number two, who was the Sabbath day really meant to bless? Most people think the Jews. We've learned that Jesus said it was made to bless man, mankind, the first mandehead and woman, that last man and last woman and every man and woman and child in between.
Number three, should the Sabbath be kept after Jesus Christ died on the cross? Well, yes, it's going to be kept in heaven. And Jesus did not tell his own mother or Mary or Magdala or any of the other women last at the cross that when I die, you don't have to keep the Sabbath. So go ahead and anoint my body.
He never did that because the Sabbath did not finish at the cross. It goes into eternity. Question number four.
What promise is made to those who return to Sabbath keeping? This is very exciting. God tells us that we will experience a spiritual high, will ride on the high places of the earth, that will just feel that we're very, very strongly connected to God. Number five, does it matter which day we keep as a Sabbath? Well, it certainly does.
It's not just a day. It's actually an appointment with goddess. So I told you, it's the blessed day, the rest day, the test day, and it's also the best day.
So that is our Bible study. Rest for the soul. Let's go to our quiz.
These are five quiz questions. This score is five out of five, just one answer per question. Question number one.
This is all based on our Bible study in this session. What does Jesus Christ promise to the weary or stressed out in the text? Matthew 1128, did he promise them freedom from work? Did he promise them a holiday or did he promise them rest? Want you to lock in one of those three answers, freedom from work, a holiday, or rest. And the answer would be, rest.
Come unto me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Number two. In the scriptures, in Ezekiel 2012, the Sabbath actually represents a.
Is it sanctification? B, is it justification, God seeing us just as if we'd never sin? Or is it c, glorification, the new bodies we receive when we go to heaven? And I'm asking you to lock in your answer, a, b, or c. And the answer according to Ezekiel 2012 is. That's right, it is a.
The Sabbath is a sign of sanctification. It's goddesse making us holy as we live and move in that day. Number three, who was the Sabbath especially made for? A was it made just for the Jews? B, was it made for man and humanity? Or c, was it only made for christians? Who was the Sabbath especially made for? We're going off.
Mark 227, the words of Jesus, lock it in. And of course, the answer is b. It was made for the first man, the last man, and every mandehead in between.
Question number four, is the Sabbath to be kept in heaven? No. A, there's no need for that memorial anymore. B.
No, that Old Testament law was finished at the cross. Or c, God wants to draw everyone together for worship. A, b or c, question number four.
All right, lock it in. The answer is number c. God wants to draw everyone together for worship in the new earth.
Come and let's worship together. Number five, how does God's last day church actually regard the Sabbath? They still faithfully keep it out of love to God. B.
They ignore it as it's an irrelevant old Testament ritual. Or c. They know it was done away with at the cross.
A, B or c, how does God's last day church regard the Sabbath? If you remember the answer in John 1415, you'll know it. It's a lock it in. So John 1415, Jesus said, if you love me, what would you do? You will keep my commandments.
Let's have a look at our secrets of prophecy. Wall of biblical truth. Last session in number ten, we were looking at finding the lost Ark of the covenant.
We know the covenant is the ten commandments in heaven. That is absolutely fantastic. It is in the ark of the covenant.
And we found out last time that God's law still is the standard for our judgement and us going to heaven. In this session number eleven, about finding rest for your soul, we found the answer is that the 7th day Sabbath is a stress antedate. It's a 24 hours window in time.
Friends, that is such a beautiful concept, isn't it, that God made a window of time that we can spend with him. Well, if you want any more information on the true Blue SDA website then the Prophecy seminar number eleven also covers this topic and the revelation seminar number ten, revelation seal of God also covers this important topic and I just want to ask you to close with me in prayer. Gracious heavenly Father, we thank you for this amazing Bible study.
We pray a blessing on all of those who are considering the original day of worship. That's never been changed. The 7th day Sabbath.
Bless everyone as they continue to study and open your word and be with us on this amazing journey. We ask in Jesus Christ's precious name, amen.
Secrets of Prophecy with Pastor David Price has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio. For more resource in this series you can visit the YouTube page trueblue SDA all one word that's trueblue SDA.
