God's Great Idea
"The Lord says, 'If you treat the Sabbath
as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value My
holy day and honor it,... then you will find the joy that comes from serving
Me. I will make you honored all over the
world, and you will enjoy the land..." Isaiah 58:12,13
GNB
The King James
Version begins this verse, "If
thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath." When we read of the blessings we will
receive when we stop "trampling" on the Sabbath, we naturally ask,
"What is the proper way to observe the Sabbath? How should our conduct on this day differ
from our conduct on the other days of the week?"
Jesus always
avoided creating controversy and conflict.
Yet when it came to the Sabbath, He always went out of His way to remove
the encumbering rules and regulations men had imposed on the Sabbath. Properly understood, the Sabbath says the
greatest things about God; but misunderstood, it can also cause great
damage. Since "keeping" the
commandments means to love, this is what the Sabbath is really
about.
Jesus said God made
the Sabbath for mankind's benefit. The
Sabbath is a day when we can be spiritually, physically and mentally recharged
to face the week; a day to keep our minds especially focused on eternal
realities.
The Sabbath has to
do with time. We spend
time with people and things we love. If
we love the God the Sabbath represents, we will look forward to putting aside
the mundane things of life and celebrating this special time. God has set aside a day when we can be
completely free of the weekly toil and troubles- a happy, relaxing day to spend
special time with that which is most important to us- God, our family, and
friends that share our love and admiration for God.
THE INVITATION
1. What invitation and promise does God declare to all men?
Isaiah 56:2,6,7
Note: The Lord tells us that if we don't enjoy the Sabbath, we aren't
really keeping it. It is not an obligation, but a blessing!
2. What does the Sabbath represent that we receive from Jesus?
Matthew 11:28-30, Hebrews 4:9-10
Note: God's ideal for the Sabbath is a day of "delight", not
of dullness and don'ts, austerity and gloom (Isaiah 58:13, 14). "Rest in Christ" is the ultimate
secret of all true Sabbath- keeping.
3. What would be a wrong attitude in keeping the Sabbath?
Amos 8:5
Note: The Jews meticulously observed the Sabbath, but didn't really
keep it. God intended the Sabbath to
represent His love and the freedom that is so important to Him. If we merely refrain from working or buying
things, it will do us absolutely no good.
"Keeping" the Sabbath does not "make points" for us
with God! Our activities on the Sabbath
only matter if the meaning of the Sabbath is important to us, and thus
the motive behind our choice of actions.
OUR EXAMPLE
4. What was Christ's custom on the Sabbath
day?
Luke 4:16
5. What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath?
John 9:14
Note: Many of Christ's miracles and acts of mercy to relieve suffering
humanity were done on the Sabbath. God has always used the Sabbath when He has
given the greatest revelations about Himself- creation, the Exodus, the
crucifixion, etc. It is no surprise that
Christ would reveal His love, mercy and compassion as the Heavenly Physician on
the Sabbath.
6. In what words did Christ
describe His acts of mercy on the Sabbath?
Matthew 12:12
Note: The Sabbath is not to be a selfish day, nor
a day of sorrow. We are to take
sunshine, healing and comfort to the sick and distressed, and share the joy
of the Lord's day.
"THINGS TO DO"
7. Is the Sabbath a special day of
worship?
Leviticus 23:3
Note: A "convocation" means a "calling together; a
meeting.
8. Psalm 92 was written for the Sabbath day. What do we see in verses 1-3 that is a
part of happy Sabbath-keeping?
Note: The Sabbath is a special day to seek the joy that comes in church
worship and fellowship, in devotional reading and meditation, in spiritual
song, and in missionary service.
9. What is another kind of activity suggested in verses 4-5?
Note: God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to
His created works, and through these to Him, the Creator. Nature speaks to our senses, telling us that
there is a God; the Creator, Upholder and Supreme Ruler of the universe.
A DAY TO REMEMBER
10. How does the Sabbath
commandment begin?
Exodus 20:8
Note: The Sabbath is a time to especially remember all the
truths about our God that it represents. To remember the Sabbath can also mean
to think of and plan for it all through the week. Don't leave things till the last minute!
11. What is the 6th day of
the week (Friday) called in Scripture?
Luke 23:54
Exodus 16:23
Note: On Fridays, we are to especially prepare for the Sabbath. Make sure the car is filled with gas, the
clothes cleaned and pressed, the housework done, the toys put away, the shoes
polished, the dishes done, etc.
12. When the Israelites
were in the wilderness for 40 years, God daily sent them food from heaven. How did they prepare for the Sabbath on the
6th day?
Exodus 16:22
Note: When the Sabbath begins, the necessary preparations will have
been completed; the house-cleaning and major cooking will be done, and the
Sabbath clothes will be in readiness.
Arrangements will have been made to get off from work early enough on
Friday afternoon so as to get home and be prepared to welcome the Sabbath.
13. What did the Lord say
regarding our food preparation?
Exodus 16:23
Note: The word "seethe" means "to cook by
boiling". We will have more time to
spend with our family, friends, and God if we make sure that the Sabbath dinner
is prepared, ready to be heated up on the Sabbath. The holy hours of the Sabbath are not a time
to do baking and cooking from scratch.
Wives as well as their husbands are to have rest on the Sabbath day!
14. What are we to lay
aside on the Sabbath?
Isaiah 58:13,14
Note: We are told that we should lay aside "our own" words,
works, pleasures and cares.
15. The day is measured by
modern man from midnight to midnight.
How does God measure the day?
Genesis 1:5,8,13,19,23,31
Note: The beginning of the days of the week are not dependent upon the
clock, but is marked by God's timepiece, the sun. When the blazing sun sets upon the western
horizon, the day ends and a new day begins.
16. Then when, according to
the Bible, does the Sabbath begin?
Leviticus 23:32
Nehemiah 13:19
Mark
Deuteronomy 16:6
Note: The holy Sabbath hours begin at sundown Friday and continue until
sundown Saturday.
17. From what are we
specifically to refrain from on the Sabbath?
Exodus 20:10
Note: In the Sabbath commandment, the Lord tells us to not do
"any" work. This refers to
ordinary work to earn wages. As far as
possible, the command also tells us to make sure that our children and guests
who live with us observe the Sabbath also.
We should never hire anyone to work for us on the Sabbath day.
For this reason
also, we ought not to go to service stations, restaurants or like places on the
Sabbath unless it is an absolute emergency.
We want everyone to have an opportunity to enjoy God's special
day!
18. Can we take advantage
of the Sabbath hours to go shopping or do business?
Nehemiah 10:31
Nehemiah 13:15-22
Note: The full blessing of the Sabbath can be experienced only when we
truly keep it holy, refraining from our own work and pleasure. We lose the Sabbath blessing when we allow
the secular world to intrude the holy time via sports, television, radio, or the
secular publications.
19. Let's re-read how God
wishes us to view His special day, and the blessings that will follow:
Isaiah 58:13,14
Note: The Sabbath is to be treated with the utmost reverence and
respect; but it is love for God and His ways that will bring joy and peace into
our lives.
CONCLUSION
The psalmist prayed,
"Open Thou mine
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." Psalm 119:18
It is only when the
eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit of God that we may come to see the
true worth and beauty of the Sabbath.
Do you accept His
invitation to experience the joys that come from keeping the Sabbath in the
Lord?
My response to Christ is:______________________________