Participants:
Series Code: AFNB
Program Code: AFNB002225S
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00:02 male announcer: This presentation is brought to you
00:03 by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. 00:09 Doug Batchelor: If you've ever been to Arlington National 00:11 Cemetery, you've probably seeing a sharp-looking sentinel 00:15 guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 00:18 Every detail of this Honor Guard Service is flawlessly executed, 00:23 and it's filled with symbolism, too. 00:25 Only a fraction of soldiers who try 00:27 out for this position are accepted. 00:30 Candidates must meet strict qualifications 00:34 and pass both written and proficiency tests. 00:37 Those who make the cut are held to a very high standard. 00:41 The guards, which are changed every 30 minutes in the summer, 00:45 and every hour in the winter, have been patrolling the tomb 24 00:49 hours a day, 365 days a year continuously since April 6, 00:55 1948, in all kinds of weather, including hurricanes. 01:00 For them, guarding the tomb is not just an assignment. 01:04 It's the highest honor a serviceperson can receive. 01:08 Did you know the Bible teaches that God has a 01:11 memorial to be remembered in His Word? 01:14 It's found in the fourth commandment, and it memorializes 01:17 God's creative and sanctifying power, 01:20 honoring Him as our Creator and Redeemer. 01:22 Let's take a few minutes now and explore from the Bible 01:25 this memorial found in God's Word. 01:28 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 aberdeen.io 01:32 Doug: I want to welcome those who may be not only here, but 01:34 those who are watching "The Panorama of Prophecy," 01:37 and we're starting to get into some of the 01:38 very crucial Bible prophecy subjects. 01:43 Our study tonight is dealing with the subject 01:46 of "Bricks Without Straw." 01:50 The story of the Bible is a story of a people that God calls 01:54 out of slavery into the Promised Land. 01:58 We remember where it tells us in the book 02:01 of Exodus that Moses was a little baby. 02:04 You know, he was adopted by the Pharaoh's princess, and it looks 02:11 like he was in line to be a prime minister, 02:13 but he recognized his people were the Hebrews, 02:15 and they were being persecuted. 02:17 When he tried to deliver the Hebrew people, when he was a 02:20 young man about 40 years of age, he ended up 02:23 murdering one of their taskmasters that was beating 02:25 a Hebrew, and he had to leave the country. 02:28 Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness taking care of the 02:32 sheep of Jethro, his--turned out being his father-in-law. 02:36 Then God called him at the burning 02:37 bush and said, "I want you to go back. 02:39 And now you're ready. You've learned. 02:41 I want you to lead the people out of Egypt." 02:43 He said, "How am I going to do this?" 02:45 God said, "I'll give you My power. 02:46 Trust Me." 02:48 So, Moses went, and he met up with his brother, Aaron. 02:52 And before he went to the Pharaoh, he was instructed first 02:55 to gather together the elders, the leaders of Israel, 02:58 and tell them, "God is about to visit you and 03:01 do many wonders and signs to deliver you." 03:05 But since they'd been living in 03:06 Egypt, they had drifted from God. 03:09 See, Abraham, the Bible tells us he obeyed God's commandments, 03:13 and laws, and precepts, but His people in Egypt 03:15 had begun to compromise with the Egyptians. 03:18 Egypt was full of idols. You still see that today. 03:21 And they started to get involved in idolatry, 03:23 and some of their promiscuity and other problems. 03:26 And among the things that happened is they had stopped 03:30 remembering God's holy time because the 03:33 Pharaoh had them working 7 days a week. 03:35 "Then Moses and Aaron went, and they gathered together 03:38 all the elders of the children of Israel. 03:41 And afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and they told the 03:43 Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'Let My people go.'" 03:48 Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should let Israel go?" 03:52 And the Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are many." 03:55 Pharaoh had his spies out there, and he knew the taskmasters were 03:58 watching when Moses and Aaron met with the leaders. 04:03 And he said, "The people are many, 04:04 and you make them rest from their labor." 04:08 'Cause they had started keeping the Sabbath again. 04:10 And the word there--even the Pharaoh uses this word. 04:13 "'You make them shabbat. 04:16 You're making them rest from their labor. 04:18 I'm not going to let them rest anymore. 04:20 Thus said the Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw. 04:24 Go out and find straw where you can find it.' 04:27 And he said, 'I'm going to basically 04:29 increase your workload. 04:31 Therefore go now and work, for no straw will be given you.' 04:34 Says, 'You're idle, and you're listening to senseless words.'" 04:38 Pharaoh knew that they'd been listening to Moses and Aaron. 04:41 He didn't want them to listen. 04:42 And he figured, "If I can keep them working, working, working, 04:45 they won't think about worshiping their God. 04:47 They won't think about being free. 04:49 Just get them too busy to think about freedom." 04:52 Now, if I was going to tell you, tonight, friends, "I've got good 04:54 news for you, at the conclusion of our presentation, tonight, 04:58 you have the opportunity to have joy, to be blessed, to have 05:03 peace, to have rest," would you say, "Hey, I'm all in for that"? 05:09 That's the result of what I want to 05:10 share with you, tonight, it is a blessing. 05:13 I want to talk to you about something where God wants you to 05:15 be blessed, and a lot of people have been--the devil's got them 05:19 working themselves to death like the Pharaoh, making bricks 05:22 without straw, empty distractions with 05:25 the cares and worries of the world. 05:28 Jesus said, "When it comes to the second coming," He said, 05:30 "Take heed, beware, lest your hearts be overcharged with 05:34 surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, 05:37 so that day overtakes you as a thief." 05:40 The devil wants us to be so busy with the cares of this life. 05:43 Have we ever had a culture that is busier 05:45 than what's going on in the world, today? 05:47 Never. 05:49 You know, partly because of Thomas Edison. 05:51 Used to be when the sun went down, people went to bed. 05:54 It was expensive to keep oil lamps burning all night long. 05:56 Had to kill a lot of whales back then to do that. 06:01 According to the American Psychological Association, 06:04 stress is linked to the six leading causes of death in the 06:07 United States, heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, 06:12 accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. 06:16 And the Bible's got a prescription 06:18 for that kind of stress. 06:20 We're living in the age of stress due largely 06:23 to laptop computers, smartphones, email. 06:25 The concept of leaving work at home 06:27 has almost become obsolete, amen. 06:30 I know it. 06:32 With Karen, I've got a place way up in the hills. 06:36 But years ago, I figured out, hey, I can get satellite 06:39 reception up here and have the Internet. 06:41 And now even when I go out of town on vacation, I find myself 06:45 checking my emails to find out what work has been left undone. 06:49 And Karen will say, "Come on, Doug, we're out here. 06:52 Let's go take a walk or work in the garden." 06:54 I'll say, "I've just got a new email. 06:55 I'll be right there." 06:58 How many of you have emailed your spouse or texted them, and 07:02 they're still in the house with you? 07:05 You don't want to raise your hand, but I could tell by the 07:06 laughs that some of you are guilty. 07:10 But we're living in an age where people are working to death, and 07:14 churches used to know about that day every week that was called 07:18 the day of rest, and people aren't resting anymore. 07:22 So, we're going to study that subject because it is not only a 07:24 blessing, it is a commandment of God. 07:27 And what the devil is going to do in the last days is try to 07:30 get people to disobey God's commandments. 07:33 One time there was a--you know the story 07:35 about the talking donkey and Balaam? 07:39 God protected His people. Balaam wanted to curse them. 07:43 He tried to curse them, and blessings came out. 07:46 Balaam went back to the king of Moab and said, "Look, if you 07:48 want me to curse Israel," he says, "I can't just curse them. 07:51 But if you can tempt them to disobey one 07:53 of God's commandments, then God will 07:55 withdraw His protection, and they'll suffer. 07:57 You've got to get them to disobey." 07:59 So, they sent a bunch of women in, enticing them to idolatry 08:02 and adultery, and a curse fell on Israel. 08:06 The devil tries to get us to disobey 08:08 'cause sin hurts us, and it hurts God. 08:10 That's what happened in Daniel chapter 3. 08:13 Nebuchadnezzar makes an image. 08:15 Those who do not pray to the image 08:16 will be thrown in the furnace. 08:17 He tries to get God's people to compromise. 08:20 Daniel chapter--and that's the second commandment. 08:22 Daniel chapter 6, tries to get Daniel to 08:24 pray to the king instead of to God. 08:27 That's breaking the first commandment. 08:30 And in the last days, he's also going to 08:31 focus on the fourth commandment. 08:33 But so many Christians have basically 08:36 skipped over this commandment. 08:38 First question, "Did God make the 08:39 Sabbath rest only for Israelites?" 08:42 I often hear people say, "Well, yeah, that's a Jewish law." 08:45 And when we interview people, they say, "Oh, 08:46 yeah, well, that's for the Jews." 08:48 Well, is that what the Bible says? 08:50 Jesus said, Mark chapter 2, verse 27, "And He said, "The 08:54 Sabbath was made for," what's it say? 08:57 "For man, and not man for the Sabbath." 09:00 That word there, "man" in the Greek 09:01 is, like I said, Anthropos, it means humanity. 09:04 Do only Jews need to rest, or does everybody need rest? 09:09 Of course, this is something that we all need. 09:12 By the way, there in the garden of Eden, 09:13 God made something else for man. 09:16 The Bible said, "It's not good that man should be alone." 09:18 So, God made woman. 09:21 All right, so here's the question. 09:22 Do we still need women? 09:24 Then do we maybe still need a day of rest? 09:27 We need what God made for us in the garden. 09:30 And the Sabbath goes all the way back to the beginning. 09:33 Also, and here's a passage you find in Isaiah 56:6 to make it 09:37 clear Sabbath is not just for Jews. 09:39 "Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, 09:43 to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord. 09:46 To be His servants--everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, 09:50 and holds fast My covenant--Even them I will bring to My holy 09:55 mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer." 10:00 Jew, Gentile, those who'd come and worship God on the Sabbath 10:03 Day, what does He say He's going to do? 10:04 "I'm going to make them miserable"? 10:06 "Joyful in My house of prayer." 10:10 Now, did God curse the seventh day or did He bless it? 10:14 He blessed it. 10:15 God wants you to have a blessing. 10:18 And so many people are missing that blessing. 10:20 They're working themselves to death. 10:22 The Pharaoh's got them making bricks without straw, 10:24 and they wonder why they have no peace. 10:26 As I mentioned, we are a society that is literally dying from 10:31 stress and too much work, heart disease, and cancer, and all 10:36 these things are affected by stress. 10:38 All these different drugs for antacid--the counselors 10:42 in North America are counseling people 10:45 and medicating people for anxiety. 10:47 So much of that--maybe not all--but so much of that could 10:50 be improved if people would do what God said. 10:53 Take one day, put everything aside, spend time with God, 10:56 spend time fellowshipping with other believers, be rejuvenated. 11:00 And this has largely been lost by Christian churches. 11:03 He makes them joyful. 11:05 Second question, "When did God establish the Sabbath day?" 11:10 Some think that it was established at Mount Sinai. 11:12 It's just for the Jews. 11:14 The Bible says thus--this is Genesis 2. 11:16 "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the 11:18 host of them, were finished, and God blessed the 11:22 seventh day, and He sanctified it." 11:24 That means He made it holy. 11:25 "Because in it He, God, rested from all His 11:28 work which God created and made." 11:30 And since man was made in God's image, if God said, "Look, I've 11:34 rested on this day, I want you to enjoy 11:36 that rest," think about it for a minute. 11:39 How many days did God need to create the world? 11:42 Six days. 11:43 How many days in a week? Seven. 11:46 Why is there an additional day if God didn't create anything? 11:50 He made a day for us to rest. 11:54 All love relationships require time. 11:58 Time is the stuff that life is made of, 12:01 and it's not just time, it's quality time. 12:03 Sometimes Karen will say, "Doug, 12:05 we haven't done anything together. 12:07 We need to spend some time together." 12:08 I said, "Well, I was at home all last week." 12:10 "Yeah, you were in the office working." 12:13 I said, "Well, I was there." 12:14 She said, "Well, that's not quality time." 12:16 Any of you have these conversations? 12:19 Said, "We need time to bond." 12:21 So, before the meeting tonight, I said, 12:22 "Karen, let's go for a walk." 12:24 It's a little different when you walk around the block just 12:26 together, listening to each other, holding hands, it's 12:28 different than me in the house and she in the house, 12:30 and we're all doing our own thing. 12:32 God says, "Look, I want you to have quality time with me." 12:36 Some people say, "Well, I worship God seven days a week. 12:39 I don't need the Sabbath." 12:40 Well, it's not just about worshiping God. 12:42 It's a day of rest, and if you rest seven days 12:43 a week, you're not holy, you're lazy, right? 12:46 So, God is talking about, you know, physical rest, as well as 12:50 we should worship Him seven days a week, amen? 12:53 Live in an attitude of worship. 12:55 Revelation chapter 14, why is this important 12:58 in a Bible prophecy seminar? 12:59 And I want you to look at verses 6 and 7 in Revelation 14. 13:03 It says, "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 13:06 Having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the 13:10 earth--to every nation, Tribe, and tongue of people--saying 13:14 with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 13:18 For the hour of His judgment is come.'" 13:21 Now listen to what the angel says, 13:23 "And worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, 13:27 and the sea, and the springs of water." 13:30 When you look at the fourth command, it says, "For in six 13:32 days the Lord made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea," the 13:38 Bible is talking about returning to the God who created us. 13:41 Do you know what happens next in Revelation 14? 13:44 "I looked and upon a cloud I saw one sat like the 13:47 Son of Man, having a sickle in His hand." 13:49 Jesus comes. 13:50 You see, the Lord is going to restore truth 13:52 to His church before He returns. 13:54 These truths have been lost through the dark 13:56 ages--everything from the problems with idolatry and 14:00 adultery and the Sabbath truth--God wants to restore 14:03 us to biblical Christianity before He comes back. 14:06 Does that make sense? 14:08 Doug: Don't go anywhere, friends. 14:09 In just a moment, we'll return for 14:11 the rest of today's presentation. 14:13 Have you ever forgotten your wedding anniversary? 14:16 Ouch. Or some other special occasion? 14:19 Well, you know, it can feel a little 14:20 embarrassing when friends forget your birthday. 14:23 So, what if I told you there is a special day for God that 14:27 nearly the entire world has forgotten? 14:30 In fact, it's one of the most significant days in human 14:33 history, and forgetting it can profoundly affect your life. 14:37 Wouldn't you want to know more about this day? 14:40 That's why I'd like to encourage you to request this 14:42 eye-opening study guide from Amazing Facts, 14:45 called, "The Lost Day of History." 14:48 You'll be amazed why this incredible truth has been hidden 14:51 from you all this time and what it means for you and your family 14:55 when you finally start remembering it. 14:57 To get your free copy, call the number on your screen and ask 15:00 for Offer 113, or visit the web address. 15:04 And after you read this incredible resource, 15:06 make sure and share it with a friend. 15:08 Well, let's get back to the rest of today's presentation and 15:11 learn some more amazing facts from the Word of God. 15:15 Doug: You know, it was never God's plan that the Christian 15:19 church should be so fragmented into so many different parts. 15:24 Jesus said, "All men will know you're My 15:25 disciples by your love for one another." 15:27 And the devil heard that, and he thought, "Well, if 15:29 everybody knows they're believers because of their love, 15:31 I'm going to get them to be divided. 15:33 I'm going to fragment the Christian church 15:35 like nothing you've ever seen before." 15:38 And in the last days before Jesus comes, there's going to be 15:40 a movement and a message, angels in heaven that are going to be 15:44 proclaiming the truth that the apostles have. 15:48 The Bible said when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 15:50 apostles, they were in one place and of one accord. 15:54 That doesn't mean one Honda. 15:55 That means they were all together. 15:57 And there's going to be a unity, and God's people are going to 16:00 come back together based on truth in the last days, and He 16:03 will baptize us again with the Holy Spirit to take this message 16:06 to the world, but that means people need to stop following 16:09 the crowd and start following the Lord and the Word, amen? 16:12 There's been a lot of compromise that's happened over the ages 16:16 away from Christianity, and it is a bad witness to the world. 16:20 So, of what two precious things does 16:22 God say the Sabbath is a sign? 16:25 You can read in Exodus chapter 31, verse 17, "The Sabbath is a 16:31 sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six 16:35 days the Lord made the heavens and the earth," 16:38 because we are to respect Him as the Creator. 16:40 Now, some of you are thinking, "Well, Pastor Doug, that's just 16:43 a sign between the Lord and the children of Israel." 16:46 Well, we already talked about this. 16:48 The new covenant is made with the children of Israel. 16:50 No new covenant is made with Gentiles. 16:53 All Gentiles who are saved become 16:55 children of Abraham by faith. 16:57 Paul's very clear on that, that we are grafted in. 17:00 And so, if we're going to partake of the promises, 17:02 we also partake of the blessings, and 17:05 the Sabbath is one of those blessings. 17:07 Did He just create the world for Jews, 17:09 or did He make it for Adam and Eve? 17:12 How many of you related to Adam and Eve? 17:14 Test. Some of you, aliens I guess, no? 17:20 What about, how many related to Noah? 17:24 Just checking, yeah. 17:26 Some of you, yeah, you're all related to both. 17:30 And you know what? 17:31 The Sabbath was given to man back at the beginning. 17:33 It's for the human race. 17:35 Also, it tells us in Ezekiel 20, verse 12, "Moreover I gave them 17:40 My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might 17:43 know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them." 17:47 So, the Sabbath is a sign of God as Creator. 17:50 How many of you need God to recreate you? 17:53 "Create in me, O Lord, a new heart." 17:54 And how many of you believe that we need God as a sanctifier? 17:57 That means He makes us holy and purifies us. 17:59 Every Sabbath reminds us He made the day holy, 18:02 and the day is a memorial of His creation. 18:04 Every Sabbath, we remember that He is a Creator. 18:07 Are we having problems in our culture today 18:08 with people doubting God's creation? 18:11 You wonder if the problem would be so bad--you know, one of the 18:13 main reasons that young people commit suicide, highest group 18:16 that commits suicide is in the teenage years--they're being 18:19 taught that there is no purpose to their life, that they have 18:23 just evolved from some lower amoeba, 18:25 and they're going to die and turn back into dirt. 18:27 And they figure, "Why not get it over with?" 18:29 I know, I was one of them. 18:31 But when you teach them that "God has a plan for your life, 18:34 that you are made in the image of God, and that 18:35 you have an eternity to win or to lose," 18:39 that changes their whole world view. 18:41 Every Sabbath, we remember those priorities. 18:44 This is important, and I think the world 18:46 has suffered terribly because we forgot. 18:49 When does the Sabbath actually begin and end? 18:52 Now, the Romans--you know, in our day, we set our clocks 18:55 forward and backwards at midnight or 2 in the morning. 19:00 Bible times, the days began and ended at sundown. 19:05 I have some verses that illustrate that. 19:07 "From evening unto evening, you will celebrate your Sabbaths." 19:12 That's Leviticus 23:32. 19:14 And in the New Testament, Mark 1:32, "And at evening, when the 19:18 sun had set," people were waiting for the sundown. 19:20 When the sun set, then they brought all their sick to Jesus 19:23 because they were afraid of the Pharisees would not approve of 19:25 Jesus healing on the Sabbath day. 19:27 You can see it all the way from cover to cover in the Bible. 19:29 The days begin and end--how many of you already knew that, 19:33 you know, the Jewish people, they, sundown, 19:34 they began to celebrate the coming of the Sabbath? 19:37 That's biblically accurate. 19:39 By the way, something just popped in my mind. 19:41 Another little amazing fact about stress. 19:43 Do you know whenever they have daylight savings 19:45 time--especially the one where you lose an hour of sleep--that 19:50 the accident rate and the death rate goes up, accidents on the 19:54 job and in cars, because people are tired? 19:57 They have more accidents. 19:59 The Sabbath literally, resting appropriately 20:01 literally can save your lives. 20:04 Will all the saved keep the Sabbath in heaven? 20:08 Let's find out. 20:09 I want to be in that kingdom, don't you? 20:11 "'For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make will 20:14 remain before Me,' says the Lord, 'So shall your descendants 20:17 and your name remain.' 20:19 And it will come to pass that from one 20:21 new moon to another," that means from month to month, 20:23 "and from one Sabbath to another," shall all Jews 20:26 come and worship before Me, says the Lord. 20:30 Is that what it said? I've got it on the screen. 20:33 Some of you who are listening may not know. 20:34 Some people are listening in on radio. 20:36 They can't see the screen. I just misquoted on purpose. 20:40 It doesn't say all Jews. It says all flesh. 20:43 So, in heaven we're going to keep it. 20:46 Now, you just think about that, friends. 20:47 That means, you know--we know Adam and Eve 20:50 kept it in the garden of Eden. 20:51 God blessed it back there in the beginning, chapter 2 of Genesis. 20:56 We know that Moses and the children of Israel 20:58 kept it there in the Old Testament. 21:00 We just showed you where the apostles and 21:02 Jesus kept it in the New Testament. 21:04 And now we've just shown you where we're 21:06 going to be keeping the Sabbath day in heaven. 21:08 Does it stand to reason that it's part of His 21:10 perfect plan that should be always kept? 21:14 Which day did Jesus keep holy? The Bible is very clear. 21:18 You can read there in Luke chapter 4, verse 16, "So, He," 21:21 Jesus, "came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. 21:25 And as His custom was," what's a custom? 21:28 Something you do once? It means your pattern. 21:32 "As His custom was. 21:33 He went into the synagogue," that was the word for church, 21:36 "on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read." 21:38 Jesus went to church, and He sang and read the 21:40 Bible every week from the time He was born. 21:44 And you also read about this in Mark--all through His ministry. 21:47 Now, some of you are going to say, "Well, Pastor Doug, didn't 21:49 Jesus have a lot of arguments with the scribes 21:51 and the Pharisees about the Sabbath day?" 21:53 Yeah, quite a few. 21:55 But in every argument, they never 21:57 argued about whether it should be kept. 22:00 The arguments were only about how it should be kept. 22:06 They always agreed it should be kept, 22:08 the Sabbath should be kept. 22:09 But they had put a bunch of manmade laws on the Sabbath, and 22:12 Jesus said, "It's okay to do good on the Sabbath day. 22:16 If your ox falls in the ditch, you 22:17 can take it out on the Sabbath day. 22:19 If someone was sick, you can heal them." 22:21 Jesus said--He healed several people on the Sabbath day, and 22:23 that made some of the religious leaders very angry. 22:27 Jesus said, "You know, there's nothing 22:28 out of harmony with this." 22:30 But you never see Jesus in the carpenter 22:31 shop on the Sabbath day, do you? 22:34 So, we're supposed to cease from our work. 22:37 We gather together, we worship God. 22:38 By the way, do you know the Sabbath 22:40 is called a holy convocation? 22:43 And that means a convening. 22:45 God has a time for His people to come together. 22:47 Don't we need to--especially after 22:49 COVID and all the isolation. 22:51 I think people are really feeling it 22:53 that we've not been able to assemble. 22:54 Something happens when you get together with people. 22:56 And I know that God's got His spiritual church scattered 22:59 everywhere, and you can Zoom a worship service. 23:02 We're streaming this now on the Internet. 23:05 But you need to get together with fellow believers. 23:07 Hebrews chapter 10, "Let us not forsake the assembling of 23:10 ourselves together, as the manner of some is." 23:13 If there's an epidemic, pause or do it safely. 23:18 I'm not--you know, I understand that. 23:21 But let's not forsake it. 23:23 Had a lot of pastors who are struggling now, because as 23:25 they're dealing with the epidemic and things are 23:28 improving, people aren't coming back. 23:32 And sometimes we get, you know, we get bad habits of kind of 23:34 sitting on the sofa, don't have to dress up. 23:37 "I'm going to go to church in my underwear." 23:40 And the Bible calls it a holy convocation, Leviticus 23. 23:47 Jesus was there every week. 23:49 Number 7, what was Paul's custom regarding the Sabbath? 23:51 So, it's not only Christ. Now let's look at the apostles. 23:54 The Bible says in Acts chapter 17, verse 2, "Then Paul, as his 23:59 custom was, he went to them, and for three Sabbath days he 24:03 reasoned from them, to them from the scriptures." 24:06 So, Paul, wherever he went, one of the first things he 24:08 did is he would reason with--he'd go to the 24:10 synagogues, and he'd reason with the Jews. 24:13 And even when the Jews didn't listen, then he would go, and 24:16 he'd reason with the Gentiles on the Sabbath day. 24:19 Look at Acts chapter 18, verse 4. 24:21 "And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath day, 24:24 and he persuaded both Jews and Greeks." 24:28 The word Greek there is Gentiles. 24:31 What blessing is promised by the Sabbath commandment? 24:35 What are some of the blessings that God is offering you and me? 24:39 Matthew 11, this is the great invitation. 24:42 Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and you are heavy 24:47 laden, and I will give you rest." 24:49 God wants you to have that peace and that rest, friends. 24:52 Do you want that? He says, "Come to Me." 24:55 You can also read in Exodus 33, verse 14, He says, "My presence 24:58 will go with you, and I will give you rest." 25:02 And then Hebrews chapter 4, verse 5, the promise is, 25:07 "And they will enter into My rest." 25:09 God wants you to have that blessed rest, and He 25:13 wants you to have that experience every week 25:15 with Him, that quality time with Him. 25:17 A lot of people say, "Oh, yeah, Lord, 25:18 I love you, I want to serve you. 25:20 I'll even give my money, but don't ask for my time." 25:22 And some of you are thinking, "Pastor 25:24 Doug, this is mind blowing." 25:26 I know you know it's biblical. 25:28 And the question is what do you do now? 25:32 Friends, God brought you to hear these things, or you who are 25:34 watching this, because He wants you to be blessed. 25:36 Let me give you one more thought before I wrap this up. 25:40 If I was to say, "Where in the world is the holy land?" 25:42 what would you say? 25:45 Israel, that's right, it is. 25:46 And where in Israel is the holy city? 25:50 Jerusalem. 25:52 And in the holy city there's something called the 25:53 holy mount, Mount Zion or Mount Moriah. 25:58 And on the holy mount was a holy temple. 26:01 And in the holy temple, they had the holy place. 26:04 And inside the holy place they had the 26:06 holy of holies or the inner sanctum. 26:08 And there was only one thing that was in the holy place. 26:12 And this is what made everything in the world holy. 26:14 There's the law of God, the holy ark of the covenant. 26:17 And in the law of God, you find the word "holy" one time. 26:21 It's in the fourth commandment. 26:23 God has put something in there, and He wants us to--see, 26:27 life is made of time, and every Sabbath 26:30 God wants us to give Him our time. 26:32 And He says, "You do that, I'm going to give you eternity. 26:34 Can you give Me one day a week?" 26:36 That sound like a fair trade? And we need it. 26:39 Anything God asks for us is 26:41 because He wants us to be blessed. 26:42 Friends, I pray that you'll be praying about this. 26:45 Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 26:48 ♪♪♪ 26:52 announcer: Don't forget to request today's 26:54 life-changing free resource. 26:56 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 26:58 you can download a digital copy straight 27:00 to your computer or mobile device. 27:02 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 27:05 the key word on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 27:10 shown on your screen, and be sure to select the digital 27:13 download option on the request page. 27:15 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 27:19 Amazing Facts, wherever and whenever you want, and most 27:22 important to share it with others. 27:26 announcer: In six days, God 27:28 created the heavens and the earth. 27:31 For thousands of years, man has worshiped 27:33 God on the seventh day of the week. 27:35 Now, each week millions of people worship on the first day. 27:40 What happened? 27:41 Why did God create a day of rest? 27:43 Does it really matter what day we worship? 27:46 Who was behind this great shift? 27:48 Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. 27:52 Visit SabbathTruth.com. 27:55 ♪♪♪ 28:01 announcer: Don't forget to request today's free offer. 28:03 It's sure to be a blessing. 28:05 And thank you for your continued support, as we take 28:08 the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. 28:10 We hope you'll join us next week, as we delve deep into the 28:14 Word of God to explore more amazing facts. 28:18 ♪♪♪ 28:24 announcer: This presentation was brought to you by the 28:26 friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. |
Revised 2024-02-23