Participants: John Lomacang (Host), John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL120020
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and a friend and sit back
00:03 as we explore God's word together 00:05 on this edition of House Calls. 00:22 Hello, friends, welcome to House Calls, 00:24 a very special edition. 00:25 We call this the sharing edition. 00:28 My name is John Lomacang 00:29 and to my right is my good friend John Stanton. 00:31 Good to have you here, John. It's good to be here, John, 00:32 looking forward to the program today. 00:34 I tell you this is a special edition 00:35 that we want to call to the attention 00:37 of our viewers and our listeners 00:38 because so much has been said about the Sabbath 00:43 and about the condition of man in death. 00:46 What happens when a person dies? 00:47 And we're gonna dedicate this program, 00:51 another program, two programs one hour each, 00:54 on describing every thing as much as we can cover 00:58 about what the Bible says about the Bible Sabbath, 01:00 from creation to our very day today. 01:03 And we wanna encourage those of you listening 01:05 and watching this program to get a copy of this. 01:07 We call this the sharing edition. 01:09 And if we can give another title to it, 01:12 we would call it the two great errors, e-r-r-o-r-s. 01:17 And so this would be like the error number one explained. 01:21 Which is the two parts. 01:23 Part one and two an hour each. That's right. 01:25 And then in the next two programs 01:26 after that what are we gonna cover? 01:28 We're gonna cover what the Bible teaches about the nature of man. 01:32 Man is not naturally immortal. 01:35 Man doesn't depart to heaven or hell immediately at death. 01:39 There is no existing soul that survives the body. 01:43 These two great errors are the two teachings 01:45 that have taken hold and so much of Christianity 01:48 that the Bible is almost left out 01:50 as to what it has to say about it. 01:51 So we want to dedicate this program, 01:53 the next program and two special programs 01:56 on the two great errors 01:58 and we encourage you to get a copy of it 02:00 and also share with your friends. 02:02 So we're not gonna be doing questions today. 02:03 We want to make this time is proficiently used, 02:07 efficiently used as we possibly can. 02:09 And so, John, why don't you open with a word of prayer for us? 02:13 Let's do that. 02:14 Our Father in Heaven, we are so thankful 02:16 for an opportunity here to come together 02:19 and to study your word. 02:20 And, Lord, especially on a couple of topics here 02:23 beginning with the Sabbath, 02:24 on something we know that is very important 02:28 and very confusing to many today. 02:31 And so we just ask for Your blessing for Your Holy Spirit 02:34 for his leading and his guiding as we open Your word, 02:37 as we cruise through its pages as we seek Your truth, 02:41 Lord, may your will be done and may You be glorified. 02:44 We pray in Jesus name, amen. Amen. 02:48 Well, John, there is a-- there is a particular text 02:51 and I encourage our viewers to get their Bibles 02:54 because we want you to walk through the Bible 02:56 with us as we unfold this topic. 02:59 I want to begin with a verse 03:00 that I believe is what I call the clarion call. 03:03 If God would ever say to His people, 03:07 I need you to restore, to rebuild, to return, 03:12 this text would be the text Isaiah 58. 03:15 We are going to look at verse 12 very quickly 03:18 and we have various translations. 03:19 I'm gonna read this in the King James Version 03:22 and I have a New King James Bible 03:25 but the way that this says it, is so clear and so concise. 03:30 I want to begin with that text, Isaiah 58, verse 12 03:33 and the Lord speaks about His people this way 03:35 "And they that shall be of thee 03:38 shall build up--shall build the old waste places, 03:42 thou shall raise up the foundations 03:44 of many generations, and thou shall be called 03:48 the repairers of the breach, 03:50 the restorers of paths to dwell in." 03:53 And so when we you talk about--when we talk 03:55 about the Sabbath truth and the Bible Sabbath, 03:58 and I want to say the Bible Sabbath because it's been given, 04:01 you know, the Christian Sabbath, the Jewish Sabbath, 04:04 but I want to say the Bible Sabbath. 04:06 Because the Lord didn't assign the Sabbath 04:09 to any one particular race on the earth, 04:12 that's the thing that's often taught. 04:13 And so as we speak about this, 04:15 we're gonna begin at the beginning. 04:17 And the place to begin at the beginning 04:19 would be in the Book of Genesis. 04:22 So let's go to the Book of Genesis today and obviously-- 04:24 I like the text, John 04:26 Not to speak over you there-- Sure. 04:27 But I like the text you're bringing up. 04:28 Just to clarify, this building up of the old waste places, 04:31 clearly the truth of God has been torn down to a degree. 04:35 We find in especially Daniel Chapter 8 as the prophecies 04:40 from just after Daniel's day down to the end of time 04:43 clearly spell out that the truth will be cast down to the ground. 04:46 That is right. 04:48 That this is the antithesis prophecy. 04:49 This is the repairing prophecy. 04:51 This is restoring of what is being 04:54 broken down in the last days. 04:56 So if we say we are living in the last days 04:58 and most of us, it's hard 05:00 to deny that we are. That's right. 05:01 Although we, you know, somehow 05:03 that we're gonna go on for hundreds of more years, 05:06 the world just won't last that much longer. 05:09 And if we don't deny that we are in the time of repair. 05:12 The repairs of old teachings 05:15 that God established from long ago, 05:17 that have been distorted through time, 05:19 the enemy has done his number on 05:21 and this message therefore is very pertinent to today 05:25 as we believe that the Sabbath 05:26 is part of the repairing of those truths 05:29 that were established from long ago way back in Genesis. 05:32 That's right and I'm glad you brought that out 05:34 because so often, people think, 05:36 well, what difference does it make? 05:38 Well, if you took 6,000 years to bend something 05:41 and you did it gradually, 05:44 then it wouldn't appear to be that big of a deal 05:46 because people that are living today 05:48 would have only seen it bent. 05:50 They would not have seen it when it was straight. 05:52 And there was a point in time 05:54 when the message about the Sabbath was very straight. 05:56 It was very, very clear. There were no bending points. 05:59 There was no distortion in that but over the course of time, 06:02 the enemy of God, Satan himself, 06:05 he took that truth and bent it so much so until today, 06:10 when you mention the word Sabbath, 06:12 it is seen from so many angles that God never intended 06:15 for it to be seen from, that 06:17 is just explained over as it's just a day. 06:20 And it's far greater than just another day. 06:23 And if we look at the other nine commandments, 06:25 we would not just say, well, it's just about God's name, 06:28 what's the big deal? 06:29 Well, it's just about idols, what's the big deal? 06:31 Well, it's just about our parents, 06:33 I mean, honor them, not honor them, what's the big deal? 06:35 We will never say that about any of the commandments. 06:38 However, the only one that begins with the word remember, 06:44 is the one that religious leaders today are saying 06:46 forget about it. I'm using my-- 06:48 It doesn't matter It doesn't matter. 06:50 You just pick a day, really doesn't matter 06:53 what day it is as long as you love the Lord. 06:55 Well, I've been married 29 years. 06:57 I can't just say to my wife, 06:58 forget about May 22nd, as long as we pick a day. Right. 07:02 You know, it doesn't matter-- 07:03 it matters when your bills are paid on time. 07:06 The people that we owe don't say just pick a day, 07:08 they schedule these days. 07:10 We don't say what day is Washington's Birthday? 07:12 Just pick a day. 07:13 Well, let's change Christmas, 07:15 we'll just pick a day. 07:16 It doesn't fit in any other vernacular of life. 07:19 Especially when we're talking about the Ten Commandments-- 07:21 Right. They almost are becoming suggestions. Right. 07:24 You know, someone-- I've been asked 07:26 several times in regard to this. 07:29 "Well, what are you saying? Are you saying 07:30 you have to keep the Sabbath to be saved?" 07:32 I mean, they want to cut to the chase. 07:33 Is that what you're saying? Yes. 07:35 My response though is whatever answer you give 07:41 to any of the other nine, give to the fourth. Right. 07:45 I respond with a question of sorts, consider this, 07:48 whatever you say in regard of the other nine, 07:50 do I have to start murdering? 07:52 Do I have to start stealing? 07:54 Do I have to start bowing down the idols? 07:56 Do I have to stop-- can I stop honoring 07:59 my father and my mother? 08:01 Can I start coveting? Does that matter? 08:03 Well, they would say repeatedly, 08:04 no, you shouldn't that, no, no, you shouldn't that, 08:07 I mean, God won't let murderers 08:08 and those that continue to steal and all these things, 08:11 let in to the Kingdom or what about those that continue to 08:13 dishonor His Holy day? Right. 08:16 Well, it doesn't matter. That's what the world is saying. 08:19 That's what preachers are saying today 08:21 which we believe constitutes a great error. That's right. 08:25 And that's why we're talking about it 08:27 as the first great error. 08:28 And also as we read this text in Genesis Chapter 2, 08:32 the context of this text is the end of creation week. 08:35 And what we want also be as sensitive in this sense, 08:38 we know, that many of you watching the program 08:39 and listening and I must even expand that many preachers 08:44 whether they are just beginning in the ministry 08:46 and I have heard preachers with doctorate degrees 08:48 and PhDs, and many letters before and after their name, 08:52 say the very same thing in reference 08:54 to the change of the Sabbath. 08:56 To the Jews, it's no longer important to 08:58 pick a day. It's now the first day of the week 09:00 most of the Christians say. 09:01 They've said so many things 09:03 that are not supported by the scriptures, 09:04 that it really amazes me that with all this learning 09:09 that there's a great big hole of ignorance 09:12 as it relates to the truth 09:14 about what God setup from the very beginning. 09:16 And they are not answering the biblical reasoning 09:20 and questioning in regard to the Sabbath. Right. 09:22 They're not answering that. 09:23 They are spending time rationalizing 09:26 as to why it doesn't matter. Right. 09:27 But we've not heard specific responses. 09:30 And, John, you and I have been doing this program 09:32 for 7 years, going on 8. Right. 09:35 We've not heard a direct response from anybody 09:38 in regard to the questions 09:39 the Bible raises in regard to the Sabbath. That's right. 09:41 We keep hearing the same thing over and over again. 09:44 The use of Romans 14, the use of Colossians 2. 09:48 Acts 20 verse 7 Acts 20-- 09:50 all these-- First Corinthians 16. 09:51 It's like a tape recorder. 09:54 No one's responding to the questions 09:56 we're raising and the Bible raises 09:58 elsewhere in regard to the Sabbath. 10:00 Right. And the other thing, John, 10:01 as you'll discover that people say, 10:03 well, the New Testament now, 10:04 the New Testament Christian doesn't have to honor 10:05 the Bible Sabbath because it was just for the Jews. 10:08 And they say, well, the New Testament 10:09 doesn't talk very much about the Sabbath. 10:11 Well, I beg to differ. 10:13 If you put the word Sabbath in the Bible, 10:15 if you just did a search in the New Testament, 10:17 it's mentioned 60 times. 10:19 If you put the phrase first day it's only mentioned 12 10:22 and 8 of those references have to do 10:24 with the resurrection and the crucifixion. 10:26 Not a day of worship. 10:28 You have only four attempts and these same four attempts, 10:31 Revelation 1:10, "In the Spirit on the Lord's day," 10:35 they say, well, that's the new day 10:36 of worship that is not the truth. 10:38 Acts 20:7, "Breaking bread on the first day of the week." 10:40 They broke bread every day, that's not the change. 10:43 1 Corinthians 16:1, "The collection of offering," 10:46 it was not a collection of offering in a church. 10:49 It was like Salvation Army. 10:50 We're gonna talk about that, what that actually meant. 10:51 Was the setting aside for future giving. 10:53 Right, and then the last one simply meant 10:55 from the first day until now, 10:57 so that had no reference at all to Sabbath or a church meeting. 11:01 Simply Paul saying since I got to this city 11:03 from the first day until now. 11:05 So you only have three actual examples 11:07 in the New Testament that could be possibly a twist 11:10 to give a new day of worship 11:12 but none of those give any viable evidence 11:14 that man by his actions or lack thereof could change 11:18 what God has established. 11:20 You know, even if they were to establish 11:21 that Sunday was a day 11:23 that there was a congregation and a meeting--right. 11:26 They're missing the most glaring and obvious argument 11:28 for the Sabbath in the Book of Acts. Right. 11:30 The simple fact the Sabbath is called the Sabbath 11:34 and the first day of the week is called 11:35 the first day of the week. Right. 11:37 By the fact you can't call 11:38 the first day of the week the Sabbath 11:40 because elsewhere in Acts it's called the Sabbath. 11:41 That's right. They are two different days. That's right. 11:43 So you cannot argue that in Acts, 11:46 they worshipped on the first day of the week. 11:48 They did not because that was called 11:50 the first day of the week where other things were happening, 11:51 the Sabbath was when they got together. 11:53 They are two different days. 11:54 That's right and it's mentioned over and over 11:56 in the Book of Acts. 11:57 Acts talks about the Sabbath many, many, many times 11:59 in reference to the Jews, the Gentiles and the Greeks, 12:03 honoring that particular day. 12:04 If you're wondering why we are a bit passionate about this 12:06 and we're gonna be passionate about this throughout. 12:08 It is that we have come to a point 12:11 where we are tired not of people opposing something we believe, 12:17 we're tired of people being deceived about the Sabbath. 12:20 This is the issue and so we are hoping 12:23 even these programs get into enhances some pastors. Right. 12:25 You want to hear it from other-- from Sunday pastors, 12:27 we would like to get together 12:29 from some Sunday pastors and-- Discuss it. 12:30 Talk about these things because this study 12:34 is not been done justice 12:35 throughout the Christian community, 12:36 which is why it remains, we believe, a great error. 12:39 That's right, exactly. 12:40 So let's go and begin at the beginning. 12:42 Let's begin when everything else was made. 12:45 Genesis Chapter 2 caps off the creation week 12:49 and we do believe we are creationists. 12:51 In other words, we believe 12:52 that God created the heavens and the earth. 12:54 We believe that in the beginning Christ was there, 12:57 the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were there. 12:59 And you read Genesis Chapter 1:1, 13:02 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 13:05 And the Bible reason Genesis Chapter 1 and verse 2, 13:07 read that for us, you have that there very quickly. 13:10 Genesis 1, verse 2. 13:11 Look at Genesis 1 verse 1 and 2, just very quickly. 13:13 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 13:16 The earth was without form and void 13:18 and darkness was on the face of the deep 13:21 and the spirit of God was hovering 13:22 over the face of the water." 13:24 So you find there in the beginning God created, 13:27 Genesis 1 verse 1 and 2, the Spirit was there, 13:30 John Chapter 1:2, in the beginning 13:32 was the word. Jesus was there, 13:34 the Godhead was there at the very inception of creation 13:38 and it took only 6 literal days. 13:41 The evening and the morning were the first day. 13:44 We have to establish that 13:45 because there're some communities that say-- 13:47 some faith communities say 13:49 that the creation was 6,000 years long. 13:52 There are some faiths that believe that, 13:54 well, it couldn't have been a literal day 13:56 because how can you do all this in a literal day? 13:58 Well, we're not talking about a construction company, 14:00 we're talking about God, 14:02 okay, that's the difference here. So God-- 14:04 He planted the stars in the heavens 14:06 and they stood fast. They appeared 14:08 and they were fixed in place. 14:10 He spake and it was done. 14:11 He commanded and it stood fast. 14:13 Let there be and there was. 14:14 So now Genesis 2 verse 1 comes 14:16 to the end of creation week 14:18 and what I want you to get as we read this text, 14:20 it took 6 days to create the world. 14:23 It took 6 days to create the world. 14:25 How many days do we have in a week? 14:27 We have 7 days in a week. 14:28 But it only took 6 to create the world. 14:31 So the natural question we have to ask 14:32 at the very beginning why then 7 14:38 when it only took 6 to create? 14:40 Why 7 when it only took 6? All right? 14:43 John, do that backward, you look in the camera. 14:45 Six creation days, we've got seven. 14:48 So what's this extra one all about? 14:50 Why give a seventh one when nothing physical 14:54 was created on that day. 14:55 You cannot look around and point to anything on this earth 14:58 created on the seventh day of the week 15:00 but something was created. 15:02 Genesis Chapter 2 verse 1 to 3. 15:04 You read that since I've been talking a lot. 15:06 "Thus the heavens and the earth 15:08 and all the host of them were finished. 15:11 And on the seventh day, God ended His work 15:13 which He had done and He rested on the seventh day 15:16 from all His work which He had done, 15:18 then God blessed the seventh day 15:20 and sanctified it because in it He rested from His work 15:23 which God had created and made." 15:25 Right, He rested from all His work. 15:27 So look at the three things, first of all, it says 15:31 the heavens and the earth were finished. 15:33 So there was need to do anything more 15:34 because it was finished and all the host of them, 15:38 they were finished. So by the time 15:40 Genesis 2 starts to be written, 15:43 the heavens and the earth were done. 15:44 There's no more work to be done 15:46 and you find at the end of creation, 15:49 He said indeed it was very good, 15:50 everything He had created was very good, 15:53 good job, no sin, no sorrow, 15:57 no fall of man, a perfect environment. 16:00 Then He does something in verse 2, 16:02 and on the seventh day God ended His work 16:06 which He had done and He rested on the seventh day 16:10 from all His work which He had done. 16:11 So now let's go--we're talking about God here. 16:14 Was God tired? 16:16 Because when we rest we usually do that 16:18 because we're what? Tired. 16:19 He was not tired. He was not tired. 16:21 When the Bible used the word rest here, 16:25 this word rest as it's used in the Book of Exodus, 16:28 as it's used throughout the Old and New Testament 16:30 is the word synonymous with rest day. 16:34 This is a rest that is synonymous 16:35 with not being tired but this is a spiritual rest. 16:40 You find in Hebrews Chapter 3, 16:41 one of the reasons why the Israelites 16:44 were in the wilderness so long 16:45 because they refused to enter into God's rest. 16:49 And one of the first things that He tested among, 16:51 we'll look at that in a moment was the Sabbath 16:53 when they came out of Egypt. 16:54 He tested them by feeding them every day 16:57 and He said on the sixth day, 16:59 get twice as much food. And when they chose 17:01 not to rest on the Sabbath, 17:04 He said to them how long do you refuse to keep my commandments, 17:06 my statues and my laws? 17:08 So this is not a physical rest alone 17:10 but this is a spiritual rest but something else He did. 17:12 Break it down, John, three things he did in verse 3. 17:16 It says He blessed the seventh day. That's the first thing. 17:19 Are any other days blessed? 17:21 No other days are blessed. Okay. 17:23 God specifically blessed this day. 17:24 He created the other 6 days 17:26 and then He stopped and then He blessed this day. 17:29 So let me ask you the question, can man bless another day? No. 17:33 So who is the only one that can bless the day? 17:35 God blessed. In fact, the Bible is clear 17:37 what God blesses is blessed forever. Exactly. 17:41 We cannot bless and let something 17:42 remain blessed forever. Right. 17:45 When God blesses, it's fixed. 17:47 That's right. So we can't reverse God's blessing? No. 17:50 What if I chose to do something on a different day and say, 17:53 "Well, I'd like this day instead." 17:54 Am I changing the blessing? No. 17:57 Okay. I just want to make that was clear. 17:59 What else did He do? 18:00 It says next that He sanctified it. 18:02 Okay. What does sanctifed mean? 18:04 He set it apart. That's right. 18:05 For specific purpose, for--to be used for resting in Him. 18:10 Okay and sanctified means some thing is set us aside as holy. 18:14 That's what sanctification is. 18:15 The marriage is sanctified, so therefore the marriage is holy. 18:19 The Sabbath is sanctified, therefore the Sabbath is holy. 18:22 Can we sanctify another day? No. 18:24 So what if I said I worship God every day. 18:26 Is that a good thing? Sure. 18:28 But is every day sanctified? No. 18:31 Okay. Is every day blessed? No. 18:33 So should we worship God every day? 18:34 Yes or no. Absolutely. 18:36 Okay, that's the point I want to make very carefully 18:38 because lot of people say I worship God every day. 18:40 If you are a Christian, 18:42 you should worship God every day. 18:44 But let me use this in marriage. 18:46 Do you honor your anniversary every day? 18:48 No, but are you married every day? Yes. 18:51 You honor your wife every day. I hope so. 18:52 Yes. We honor our spouse, our wives, 18:55 we honor our wives every day. 18:57 But is every day our wedding day? 18:59 No. Is every day our anniversary? No. 19:02 But now here's the issue. Yeah. 19:04 On the day that is our anniversary, it's a special day. 19:08 We continue to honor each other 19:09 but we're coming together as a memorial 19:12 of what has happened in the past. 19:14 That's exactly correct. 19:15 And I think this is one of the points we want to make 19:17 is that the Sabbath was established by God 19:19 as a memorial of creation, of His creative power, 19:24 of the fact that He is God, there is no other. 19:27 When we worship, when we rest on that day, 19:30 we are saying Lord, we choose Your day 19:33 because we honor You as our creator. That's right. 19:36 When we worship on another day or we say, 19:38 you know, well, it doesn't matter that day, 19:40 every day we should worship God. 19:41 There is no acknowledgement of creation, 19:45 of Him as the creator and what He is in our lives. 19:49 Now that doesn't mean that we don't love Him 19:51 and care for Him and worship Him 19:53 and seek to desire the blessings that He gives. 19:56 We should do that every day. Right. 19:58 But acknowledging who He is as our creator is something 20:02 that is infused within the meaning of the Sabbath. 20:05 Right, and you have a hard time convincing your wife 20:07 if you forget her anniversary every year, 20:09 if you forget your anniversary. 20:11 And the reason I say your anniversary, 20:13 the Sabbath is a weekly anniversary. 20:15 We know annum means yearly. 20:17 But the Sabbath is a weekly reminder 20:20 that the God of creation is our God, 20:23 that we acknowledge Him as the God of creation, 20:26 the God of sanctification, 20:27 the God of blessing, the God of redemption. 20:30 When we honor the Sabbath, 20:31 we're acknowledging the one that is connecting us to Him 20:35 and the day connects us together. 20:38 How we honor what He's honored, 20:40 how we keep the blessing intact as He's blessed it, 20:44 how we recognize He sanctifies us 20:46 through the sanctification of that day, 20:49 then the connection is unbroken. 20:51 So the three things He did there was 20:53 He blessed the day, can't bless any other day. 20:56 He sanctified it. That's the only blessed day, 20:58 the only sanctified day. 20:59 And then He rested from all His work 21:01 which we also cease from our labor. 21:05 The things we do Monday, sorry, from Sunday to Friday 21:09 is not to be done when the Sabbath comes in 21:11 because as God rested, we ought to rest. 21:14 Now let's break that down for just a minute, 21:16 as there's a deeper meaning, 21:18 a deeper understanding of that resting 21:21 because when we rest and what God has done, 21:24 we are not resting and what we have done. Very good point. 21:28 So when we acknowledge the Sabbath as God's day, 21:32 the seventh day as God's day, we're saying that we're resting 21:36 in what He has done for us not only in our creation 21:38 but in our redemption. That is correct. 21:41 Our salvation. 21:42 When we are choosing another day, 21:45 that is a man-made acknowledgement, 21:48 that is a man-made set apart, attempted blessing 21:53 for--used by man. That's right. 21:56 It's not what God has set aside. 21:58 So where some might say, 21:59 well, you know, keeping the Sabbath, 22:01 I mean that's legalism. 22:03 You know, that's something the Jews did 22:04 and it's very, very works based. 22:07 I would suggest exactly the opposite. 22:10 The Sabbath on the seventh day is acknowledging God's rest day. 22:13 It is rest based. It is based on faith 22:16 and trust in what He has done. Resting on another day 22:19 such as the first day of the week is acknowledging 22:23 what man has setup, what he has done. 22:25 Let me give you a simple example, John. 22:27 Right after sin, Adam and Eve obviously 22:30 were really torn up about what had happened. 22:34 I mean, can you imagine what's resting on their shoulders, 22:36 the remorse? That's right. 22:37 Well, they began to have children 22:39 and they had two first children Cain and Abel. 22:41 Cain and Abel had two altars 22:44 and it's the first real worship scene we find in the Bible. 22:47 On those two altars, one of them was brought a lamb 22:51 which God said to bring. 22:53 And the other one was brought what? 22:55 The fruit of the ground, what Cain had, 22:58 worked by his own hands 23:00 to bring as fruit given to God. That is true. 23:03 Two different altars, what's represented 23:05 there are two different forms of worship. That is right. 23:08 One is resting what God asked for, 23:11 Abel said you ask for a lamb, I'm bringing you a lamb. 23:14 I don't understand all of what it means but you asked for that, 23:18 I acknowledge that it means, 23:19 it points to something in the future 23:21 that you will do on my behalf. I will sacrifice this lamb. 23:25 Cain said, "Well, you know, what? 23:26 I've got a better idea." 23:27 I'm gonna choose something else and it was what he established, 23:30 what He had made from the ground and he brought that. 23:32 You've got two forms of worship there 23:34 and we see that throughout time, 23:36 either it's faith based 23:37 or it's works based. That's right. 23:39 And acknowledging and doing what God says is always 23:42 the faith based option. 23:44 And that's what we're seeing here. 23:45 You know, I'm amazed, John, that the Sabbath 23:46 is often referred to as works, 23:48 when the Sabbath is when work ended, 23:50 when work ended. And I want to go to Exodus 20 right now 23:55 because this is about the Ten Commandments. 23:57 And we're gonna try to cover as much as we could, 24:00 our time goes so quickly that's why this is just, 24:04 not just one program but we're gonna cover this in two. 24:06 And then we're gonna also include 24:07 as we possibly can a detailed explanation 24:10 in a booklet that we hope to put together 24:12 to make this very concise and cover all the basics. 24:16 But we're going to Exodus 20 verse 8 to 11, 24:19 Exodus Chapter 20 verses 8 to 11 24:22 and we're going to see now when we repeat this commandment, 24:25 when we read this commandment 24:27 we're gonna see something that's really amazing, 24:29 is gonna connect us indelibly to what we just read in Genesis. 24:34 But it's gonna begin with a word that seems strange 24:39 when that word was not used 24:40 in any of the other commandments. 24:43 And I know, you know exactly what word I'm gonna use. 24:46 Let's look what the Bible says 24:48 and I'm not gonna use my word 24:49 but I'm gonna use what the Bible says, 24:51 the very first word in Exodus 20 verse 8 to verse 11, 24:55 the very first word is, what's that word, John? 24:57 Remember. Remember. 24:59 Now why would God say remember? 25:02 Is He sovereign? Yes. 25:04 He knew as well as the great controversy began on earth, 25:07 the battle between light and darkness. 25:09 He knew after the fall of men 25:11 that somebody is going to forget what I did at creation. 25:17 As a matter of fact, somebody once said 25:19 "If the Sabbath were honored the way 25:21 that God intended, there would be no atheist today." Yeah. 25:24 There would be no people 25:26 that are fighting against the creation story, 25:28 as so much of the public schools are trying to do. 25:30 They're trying to bring an evolution. 25:31 Well, they had brought an evolution. 25:34 And Christians are fighting to tell the creation story 25:37 and it's almost laughed at. 25:39 Well, that's the reason why because 25:40 they've chosen to forget. 25:42 And the other thing too about that word remember, 25:44 you can only remember something that's already been established. 25:47 Exactly. So when He says remember, 25:49 it means there's something that is already been done 25:51 that they need to recall in their mind. That's right. 25:54 So when someone says, 25:55 if someone tries to tell you, well, 25:57 the Sabbath is about the Jews 25:58 and the commandments given to them at Mount Sinai, 26:00 it's not because the Sabbath tells them to recall something 26:03 that happened way back when, what was that event? 26:06 Creation. Creation. That's right. 26:07 Remember, remember. 26:09 Even an event prior to sin itself. 26:12 You know what, you made a point. I have to read this. 26:16 The Sabbath and the marriage were both established 26:20 before sin entered the world. 26:22 What two institutions are being attacked the most today? 26:25 I believe the Sabbath and the Ten Commandments 26:27 in general but the Sabbath 26:28 specifically and marriage. That's right. 26:30 It's amazing that in the Christian church 26:33 most Christian pulpits attack the Sabbath. 26:38 And the world is attacking marriage. 26:41 The redefinition of marriage 26:43 and the redefinition of the Sabbath. 26:46 The two things that God established 26:47 before sin entered the world. 26:49 Now let's look at this. 26:50 Let's go through this. 26:52 And now we're gonna see in this passage 26:53 what the really issue is, the issue is not the day. 26:56 That's what people think it is. 26:57 They think the issue is the day. That's not the issue. 27:00 Listen to what the text says. 27:03 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 27:05 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 27:10 Here's the issue. 27:11 But the seventh day is the Sabbath 27:14 of the Lord your God. 27:17 Let me stop before I finish rest of the verse 10. 27:20 The question is not what day 27:23 but the question is who is your God? 27:25 That's the key. 27:27 May 22nd defines if they were two women in the room 27:30 one was May 22nd and one was September 1st, 27:33 May 22nd is the--connects me to the woman that is my wife. 27:39 When you look at this, 27:40 it is saying if you pick the God, 27:44 then you already have the day. That's right. 27:46 You don't pick the day and try to connect it to the God. 27:50 He's not gonna accept the day you pick 27:52 because He's already done that. 27:54 He's already picked the day. 27:55 And notice what He says, 27:56 remember the Sabbath day to do what? 27:58 Keep. Once again, John, if you remember something, 28:02 if you keep something, what does keep mean? 28:04 Keep means it's already holding in this case. 28:07 Well, my mom used to clean the house 28:08 and she said, "Keep it clean. Don't mess it. 28:10 Keep the table set. Keep the floor clean. 28:13 Keep your room clean." It's already been cleaned. 28:16 The day had already been blessed, 28:17 already been sanctified, already had been set aside as holy. 28:19 Remember to keep it the way 28:21 I made it. That's what God is saying. 28:23 And then He says, here's the issue, friends, 28:25 but the seventh day, verse 10 again, 28:27 but the seventh day 28:29 is the Sabbath of the lord Your God. 28:31 So the question before we go any further is who is your God? 28:34 If it is the God of creation, 28:36 the seventh day Sabbath is the day He established 28:39 as a sign between Him and us. 28:42 He did not establish another one. 28:43 They'd honor and keep holy. And let's finish this out. 28:46 The interesting thing too though, 28:48 'cause I know you already touched on this. 28:49 If you just start the seventh day 28:50 is the Sabbath of the Lord. 28:52 That's right. That's another point. 28:53 So then what's the Lord's Day? Okay. 28:58 We're gonna answer this straight up. 28:59 The Lord's Day is the seventh day. 29:01 It's not the first day of the week. 29:02 It cannot be. That's right. 29:04 No scriptural evidence for the Lord's Day 29:06 being the first day. That's right. 29:08 He made that clear at the end of creation week 29:10 where there was only m-a-n and wo-man. 29:14 And we'll see and we're going to Mark 29:16 Chapter 2 verse 27 and 28 in just a moment. 29:18 And the other point too that I'm making though 29:19 is that it belongs to Him 29:22 which is where you're connecting 29:23 if He's our God then this is His day. 29:25 It belongs to Him but in every case 29:27 where the seventh day is being spoken off, 29:29 the Sabbath-- Right. 29:30 It's spoken off as being as belonging to Him. 29:33 Right. It's His day. 29:35 So if someone comes to you and says, 29:38 well, or if someone's suggesting, 29:41 well, you can just pick a day to honor and worship. 29:43 I remember one pastor I was talking to about this subject 29:45 and he says, he said, 29:47 "John, I understand where you're coming from. 29:48 Our denomination doesn't believe this. 29:50 Frankly, my day is Wednesday." 29:53 And I said, "Really?" I said "Why did you pick Wednesday?" 29:56 "Well, I just picked a day. 29:58 Wednesday is the day I have downtime. 30:00 I spend with my family. I spend with the Lord. 30:01 It's my special day between me and Him." 30:04 Well, my response there is "Why did you pick a day? 30:08 It's already been picked by God Himself." Right. 30:12 Well, there is no real answer for it 30:14 because the rationalizing continues on. 30:16 We want validation. 30:19 People want-- always want validation 30:20 for what they already do. 30:22 They don't want to change. No. 30:24 But in this case if we're gonna find what the Bible Sabbath is, 30:27 what the Lord's Sabbath is, His day is, 30:30 it is the seventh day. It always will. 30:32 It is throughout the scriptures. It always will be. 30:35 Right. And people are saying Lord, I know what you said 30:37 but this is what I prefer. 30:38 So you need to modify and take on what I have chosen 30:43 rather than me taking on what you have chosen. 30:46 That's what's being told to Christian people today. 30:48 That's what leaders are saying. 30:49 I know the Seventh day, Sabbath is Saturday but-- 30:55 It doesn't matter-- And, you know, that-- 30:57 And everything else that come with that. 30:58 And it's ridiculous, it's an offense to God. It really is. 31:02 And it's a deception to those who love Him. 31:04 Because we're saying we love the Lord. 31:06 We're talking to people that love the Lord. 31:07 We're not talking to people that hate the Lord. 31:09 This is about a Christian who says, I love the Lord. 31:12 I love Jesus. I've given him my life. 31:14 But you've been told by your pastor 31:15 something completely opposite that it doesn't really matter. 31:18 Just pick a day God is happy with that. 31:19 It's not what God has said. 31:21 That's not what the word of God has said. 31:23 And that's not what the Lord has said in His word. 31:26 The rest of this text is very simple. He says, 31:30 and the reason I want to go through it 31:31 because verse 10 makes it very clear 31:34 who these parameters apply to. 31:37 But the Seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. 31:39 In it you shall do no work. 31:42 You nor your son, nor your daughter, 31:43 nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, 31:46 nor your cattle, nor your stranger 31:49 who is within your gates. 31:50 When people come and visit us, we let them know, 31:53 in our home this is what we avoid on the Sabbath day. 31:57 This is special time as is our anniversary. 32:01 I tell people don't plan that event on May 22nd. 32:04 I'm not gonna be there. 32:05 And my wife and I have been true to that as long as 32:08 we've been married. This is our day. 32:10 We're gonna reserve this for our special time, 32:12 although we love each other every day, 32:14 although we spend time together every day. 32:17 But notice what it says 32:18 and here's the key I was talking about. 32:20 Verse 11 is gonna connect you back to creation, 32:23 not to the Jewish nation but to creation. 32:26 Creation itself. Okay. 32:28 For--here is the reason why the Sabbath should kept Holy. 32:31 "For in 6 days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 32:36 the sea and all that is in them and rested the Seventh day. 32:42 Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 32:48 He rested, he blessed, he sanctified, he hallowed. 32:53 And that's what he is saying. 32:54 This day points you back to what I did at creation in 6 days. 33:00 Please keep it the way that I've established it to be. 33:02 And I want to go very, very quickly, John, 33:05 which text are you turning to I was gonna go to Mark. 33:07 I was just gonna read very quickly 33:09 'cause you're talking about a day of worship 33:10 and you're talking about resting. 33:12 You're right. You're talking about creation. 33:14 I'm just gonna throw this in there 33:15 not to cover all the details. Revelation? 33:16 Revelation 14. Very good point. Very, very good point. 33:19 Revelation 14 verses 6 and 7. Okay. 33:22 This is the beginning of the Three Angels' messages 33:25 angels--which angel means messenger. That's right. 33:30 It is the message that they're proclaiming 33:32 at the end of time in prophecy just before Christ's return 33:36 and notice what it contains, this message 33:39 what it incorporates here as important for the last days. 33:43 Verse 6, then I saw another angel 33:45 flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel. 33:48 Notice, this is the gospel to preach 33:50 to those who dwell on the face of the earth, 33:53 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. 33:55 Saying with a loud voice and here's what He said, 33:57 "Fear God, and give glory to Him, 33:59 for the hour of His judgment has come." 34:02 And notice what all that hinges upon. 34:04 "And worship Him who made heaven, 34:07 and earth, the sea, and springs of water." 34:11 That's right. Go back to worshipping the creator. 34:13 And how do you do that? 34:15 You honor his Holy day, that has been lost sight of, 34:18 there's been a breach, 34:20 as we already brought up in Isaiah 58. 34:22 There's been a breach in truth. That's right. 34:24 Now come back to worshipping and honoring the creator 34:26 which is keeping his Sabbath day Holy. 34:29 That's right. And, you know, what when you look at that, 34:31 this message in Revelation 14, 34:32 is going to every nation, every kindred, every tribe, 34:37 every tongue, every language. This is a universal message. 34:40 This is not a Jewish message. That's right. 34:44 So even the misunderstanding of Revelation 34:47 has almost narrowed this down to the Jews. 34:49 This is not a Jewish message. 34:51 This is to every nation, every kindred, 34:54 every tongue, every people, saying to the world 34:57 it is time to get back to worshipping the creator 34:59 the way He needs to be worshipped. 35:01 The way He has established, 35:04 worship that is acceptable to Him. 35:06 So the Sabbath was made 35:07 at the very beginning of the creation week. 35:08 Now let's go to Mark Chapter 2 verse 27. 35:11 And then we're gonna go to 35:12 Ezekiel Chapter 20. But first of all, 35:15 the sign of allegiance, Mark Chapter 2 verse 27 and 28. 35:19 to show you clearly when the Sabbath was made. 35:21 Even Jesus when He came, Jesus made it very clear, 35:26 the purpose and for whom the Sabbath was made. 35:29 Read that for us, Mark Chapter 2 verse 27 and 28, John. 35:33 "And he said to them the Sabbath was made for man, 35:36 and not man for the Sabbath. 35:37 Therefore the Son of man is also Lord of the Sabbath." 35:42 There it is again. What day is he Lord of? 35:44 He's Lord of the Sabbath 35:45 and the Sabbath we know is the seventh day. 35:47 And he says the Sabbath is made for who? 35:49 M-A-N, was it-- was it J-E-W? 35:52 No. So is the Sabbath-- 35:54 And that word is mankind by the way. 35:56 Exactly. That's exactly the point. 35:59 The Sabbath was not made for a particular nation. 36:01 So the question lot of people may ask so, 36:03 so why is the Sabbath spoken of so much 36:06 among the Jewish community? 36:07 Because the Lord chose them as He chose the post office 36:10 to get a message to the world. That's right. 36:12 The post office, the people that work there, 36:14 I know guys that work there. Matter of fact, there're 36:16 two guys in town that work at the post office. 36:17 Both of them share the same name I have. 36:19 After work, they are no different than us. 36:21 At work, they are no different than us. They have the same, 36:23 you know, they function like every human does. 36:26 There's nothing different about them 36:27 expect for their position of responsibility. 36:30 They've got to get the message out. 36:32 God chose the Jewish nation to get the message to the world. 36:35 He told them that in the Book of Acts Chapter 14, 36:37 Paul said, Paul and Barnabas said, 36:39 it was necessary that the gospel first be spoken to you, 36:43 and that you be a light to the Gentiles, 36:46 to the ends of the earth. 36:47 But seeing that you judge yourselves 36:49 unworthy of everlasting life, 36:50 lo we turn to the Gentiles. 36:52 God simply called them to be the messengers 36:55 to carry the message to the world, 36:56 not to be the only ones to honor the Sabbath. 36:59 Yeah, and this may buck a little bit of a-- 37:01 or create a little bit of confusion in some, 37:03 but I'm not meaning to confuse, 37:04 I'm meaning to clarify. Okay. 37:06 There would have been no church as we know it today, 37:10 had the nation of Israel, 37:13 the Jews accepted the messaihship of Christ 37:17 and had performed the work that He desired that they do 37:19 which was to evangelize the world. Right. 37:21 That job as Acts Chapter 14 verses 45 and 46 says, 37:27 was given to the church because they did not do it. 37:29 They rejected that. Read those passages. 37:33 All right, notice this, so as verse 44, 37:36 "On the next Sabbath-- That's right. 37:38 Almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God 37:41 but when the Jews saw the multitudes 37:43 they were filled with envy and contradicting 37:45 and blaspheming they opposed the things spoken by Paul." 37:48 Who where opposing it? The Jewish leaders. 37:52 "Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said 37:54 it was necessary that the word of God 37:55 should be spoken to you first." 37:57 Why? Because you were the ones that God designed to take 38:00 the everlasting gospel to the world. That's right. 38:03 But he says, "Since you rejected 38:07 and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, 38:10 behold we turn to the Gentiles. 38:12 That is directly to the establishment 38:13 of the church including all the Gentiles. 38:16 That's right. And that's what God always intended 38:18 for everyone else to get this message 38:20 but the Jews wouldn't do it. So he said, "Okay. 38:23 We got to go to somebody that's gonna do it, 38:25 now that the door is open to the Gentiles. 38:27 They are coming in and there would have been 38:30 no controversy. There would've been no separation 38:32 because there would've simply been 38:34 God's people doing God's will, 38:35 carrying God's message to 38:37 God's people around the world. 38:39 It would've been very, very simple. 38:40 But now I wanna also point out, 38:42 we talked about the creation of the Sabbath. 38:44 We talked about the Sabbath as an established sign 38:49 of the memorial of creation, 38:50 sanctified by God, blessed by God, 38:53 honored by God, hallowed by God, made for man. 38:57 Mark 2 verse 27 and 28, not for the Jew 39:01 and the only command with the word remember 39:03 meaning we should've never forgotten it. 39:05 But people are being taught to forget. 39:07 Now let's go to Ezekiel Chapter 20 verse 12 and 20. 39:11 And I want you to read this because first of all 39:13 the creation of the Sabbath is a sign of memorial 39:16 but the purpose of the Sabbath is a sign of something else. 39:18 Is the sign--there is an additional reason 39:20 behind the Sabbath. 39:22 Read that for us, verse 12 and verse 20. 39:24 Verse 12, "Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths, 39:27 again he says my Sabbaths, 39:29 to be a sign between them and me that they might know 39:33 that I am the Lord who sanctifies them." 39:36 Okay, now get this. The day was sanctified. 39:40 That's right. He says, 39:41 when you honor my Sabbath, you are sanctified. 39:45 In fact, that Sabbath becomes a memorial 39:47 of my sanctification of you as well. 39:50 Right. So you step into-- 39:52 let's go back down to the marriage relationship again. 39:54 When my wife and I honor the May 22nd, 39:57 we are acknowledging that we were both sanctified, 40:01 set aside for each other on that day. 40:04 We were not sanctified on the 21st or the 23rd 40:06 but the 22nd of May in the year 1983. 40:10 Just in case you want to know what year it was. 40:12 And so clearly when we honor the Sabbath, 40:14 the Lord said it's a sign of sanctification 40:16 and then verse 20 also, Ezekiel 20 verse 12 40:19 was what you just read. And I'll go ahead and read verse 20 40:22 since you're looking for another passage. 40:24 All right. It says, "Halo my Sabbaths, 40:27 and they will be a sign between me and you, 40:31 and this is powerful that you may know, 40:34 that you may know that I am the Lord, your God, 40:37 I told you it is about who is your God. 40:40 This text reiterates-- 40:41 the Sabbath is about who is your God. 40:43 If you honor this, you'll know that I'm your God. 40:47 Let's reverse that. If you don't honor this, 40:49 I'm not your God. That's what he's in essence saying. 40:51 If you honor the Sabbath, you'll know I'm your God. 40:54 But if you don't honor the Sabbath, I'm not your God. 40:57 Because I'm not connecting myself to any other-- 40:59 I haven't blessed any other day. 41:01 So you honor this, I'm your God. 41:04 You'll know it that I'm your God. 41:06 That's right. This all points down 41:07 to in the language Ezekiel is using here, 41:10 or the Lord is using here is a direct connection 41:12 to Exodus Chapter 31. That's right. 41:15 Where he says, almost the same words. 41:17 It's a sign between me and you throughout your generation 41:20 that you may know that I'm the Lord who sanctifies you. 41:23 But notice this if you go a little further 41:24 down in verse 16, this is verse 16 of 31 now. Okay. 41:29 It says, "That it is a sign to observe the Sabbath 41:33 throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant." 41:36 Right. Now it's very interesting the use 41:38 of that word perpetual covenant. 41:40 And you read two verses just for our viewers and listeners. 41:42 I did. I read verse 13 and then I read verse 16. 41:45 Of Exodus? Of Exodus 31. 41:47 Okay. But that verse 31, 41:51 where it says perpetual covenant in very interesting 41:53 because God originally covenanted with mankind 41:57 to save Him to redeem Him. 41:59 That's right. That covenant is often spoken of as having 42:02 two different parts or two different aspects or phases. 42:07 The old covenant and the new covenant 42:10 but the old covenant is less about Old Testament 42:13 than it is about the mentality 42:15 that the Old Testament believers that the Israelites 42:18 many of them had with regard 42:20 to what God was doing to sanctify them. 42:24 The new covenant is part of the perpetual covenant. 42:26 So when the Lord is saying here 42:29 that it's a perpetual covenant for you 42:31 and your generations forever. 42:33 He's saying that, that Sabbath 42:34 is gonna last throughout eternity. 42:36 Right. And we know that because of Isaiah 66, 42:39 we'll be worshipping on the Sabbath day, 42:42 even in the new earth. That is true. 42:44 I'm so glad you brought that word out perpetual. 42:47 When something is perpetuated, 42:49 you know, when a person perpetuates a habit 42:50 it's something that you go over and over, a perpetual liar. 42:53 We've called people perpetual liars or habitual liars. 42:56 Perpetual that means they are doing the same thing over 42:58 and it's perpetual that's means it never ceases. 43:01 So this-- the Sabbath is a perpetual sign 43:05 meaning you can't get rid of it. 43:06 If you see a sign on a highway, I remember somebody, 43:10 I'm using this is an imaginary point 43:11 but this is true in so many different peoples lives. 43:14 Some young man will grow up 43:15 and he's like 15-years-old now 43:17 but his dad reminds him, he says, you know, son, 43:20 from the time I used to drive you around 43:22 when you were 2-years-old, 43:23 I used to always point you to that sign. 43:25 Remember that sign, you know, whatever the sign is in town. 43:28 That sign has been there since you were 2-years-old 43:31 and it's probably gonna be there 43:33 long enough for you to show your grandchildren 43:35 and for your grandchildren to show their grandchildren. 43:37 It's a perpetual sign. 43:39 It's a sign that the city has been keeping up to date. 43:43 It's been refurbished. It's been kept up. 43:45 And that sign is a never ending sign. 43:47 So in the very same way creation get this perpetuality 43:51 from the end of creation week throughout the Old Testament, 43:56 the people of God into the life of Jesus 44:00 and this is one thing that I want to bring up next. 44:03 Because this perpetual sign was not a sign 44:06 that was just established by Christ in the very beginning 44:11 and kept by God's people through the Old Testament 44:14 but it's the day that Jesus Himself kept. 44:17 Now, John, this blows me away, this blows me away. 44:21 This is like an atomic blast in my head. 44:24 Why are Christians afraid? Why are Christians taught 44:29 to not follow Jesus on this point? 44:35 Look for verse 16, let's go there. 44:38 Do you think you're gonna be lost by doing what Jesus did? 44:42 That's how much Satan has gripped 44:44 the mind of many Christians. 44:45 They're somehow convinced that if I do this, 44:48 I'm bound like Jesus, Jesus must have been bound 44:52 then if He's honoring the Sabbath. 44:55 Because the statements today are, 44:56 well, if you keep the Sabbath 44:58 you're bound, you're saving yourself by works. 45:01 When the commandment says 45:03 thou shall not do any work. Ain't that a funny thing? 45:05 And Jesus is the ultimate example of our faith. 45:07 If you're ever gonna look as to what we should do in our life 45:10 as Christians, look to what Jesus did. 45:12 The whole thing of what would Jesus do? Yeah. 45:15 What day would Jesus worship on? 45:17 What day would He keep holy? 45:19 What day would He honor His father on? 45:23 Instead-- The answer's right here. 45:24 And instead of trying-- exactly, 45:25 instead of trying to find the answer, 45:27 the Bible gives us the answer. Read it for us. 45:28 Luke 4:16, "So He came to Nazareth, 45:32 where He had been brought up. 45:33 And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue 45:36 on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 45:39 Now somebody may say, well, well, well, wait, wait, 45:41 he went to a synagogue, it wasn't a church. 45:44 He went into a synagogue so, 45:46 because he went into a synagogue, 45:48 he was Jewish and that's the reason He did it. 45:51 Well, you know, friend, what's so offensive 45:52 about that idea and the reason I'm saying 45:54 that is because I've been told that before. 45:56 People say the only reason why Jesus kept the Sabbath 45:58 is because He was Jewish, came in through a Jewish family. 46:03 You know, the offense about that would be, 46:05 well, the Sabbath was made only for Jews 46:08 and Jesus is only obedient because He's a Jew. 46:11 Well, all the Bible writers, 46:14 we must not read the Bible 46:15 because the Bible writers are based on Hebrew writers 46:19 all throughout scripture, Jewish writers from beginning to end, 46:22 people that God shows in various times 46:24 in various ways to compile the scriptures. 46:27 So is it because it's done by the Jews 46:30 that we shouldn't do it? Is that what's being taught? 46:32 The reason why the Lord kept that here is very simple. 46:36 He's honoring what He established 46:39 and the very same way that Jesus was baptized, 46:43 He's honoring what He has established. 46:46 Jesus was not baptized just because it was arbitrary. 46:50 He left it as an example for us to follow. 46:53 Jesus, son of the Sabbath as an example for us to follow 46:57 and that's why Mark, that's why Jesus said 46:59 and Mark recorded that Sabbath was made for man. 47:03 You know that men-- actually, John, 47:04 the Sabbath was made for the good of man. 47:07 If you honor the Sabbath, you are the benefactor. 47:09 The day doesn't know you're doing this 47:11 but you become a benefactor. 47:12 And today, John, the whole day, 47:15 even if you say it's the first day of the week 47:16 which it's not, people don't keep the whole day, 47:20 church, mall, football game, superbowl Sunday, shopping, 47:25 baseball, little league, picnics, barbecues, 47:29 the whole day is not kept as a Holy. 47:31 It's a sad attempt that is short hour and a half 47:34 or maybe 2 hours at the most. It's not a whole day. 47:37 And many churches sometimes come back in the evening 47:40 to do another service. But it's not a holy day, 47:42 it's not even honored as a holy day 47:43 and there's another push, John, 47:45 the new push now is to make the whole day holy, 47:47 in many nations around the world are fighting to push 47:52 and make Sunday a Holy day. 47:54 It's happening all over the world. 47:56 Right. You know, anyway, but go ahead. 47:58 I was gonna say that, you know, as Jesus set this example, 48:01 going into the synagogue on the Sabbath, 48:04 you know, you commented that people say, 48:05 well, he did that because he was Jewish. 48:07 What's interesting because the disciples didn't think so. 48:10 Right. Because if we go to Acts, and I'm not jumping ahead here 48:13 but if you go to Acts 13 verse 42, 48:15 it says clearly that, that the Jews 48:18 as they met in the synagogue and Paul was preaching to them. 48:23 That it says that the Gentiles then beg that those words 48:26 might be preached to them on the next Sabbath. 48:29 That's verse 42 of Acts 13. 48:32 And then it says, in verse 44 on that next Sabbath, 48:35 almost the whole city came together 48:37 to hear the word of God. 48:38 So you have-- rather than the Gentiles 48:42 establishing another day in honor of the resurrection, 48:45 you have the Gentiles joining with the Jews 48:48 on the Holy day already established 48:50 to worship with them as the church. Right. 48:53 You have the exact opposite thing happening 48:55 that many church leaders today tell you happened. 48:58 It's a complete fabrication what we find as, 49:02 well, they did it in honor of the resurrection 49:05 and we see that in the early church. 49:07 It did not happen. That is a lie. Thank you, John. 49:10 And that's all it could be, that's all it could be, 49:12 a false representation of what the Bible says. 49:16 The Jews and Gentiles gathered on the Sabbath day. 49:21 So therefore if the disciples Paul and Barnabas 49:24 are in Antioch preaching on the Sabbath day, 49:29 is Paul and Barnabas victims of legalism or are they doing, 49:35 what they know is right? Which one would it be? 49:39 They're doing what Jesus did. Right. 49:42 They're following the example of Jesus. 49:44 They are honoring a day that they know is right. 49:46 They are not legalists. Are they legalists? 49:48 No, they're not legalists. I'm amazed, that terminology. 49:50 Whenever I hear that, my hair stands up 49:54 on the back of my neck. 49:55 You know, I heard a very famous preacher say, 49:57 "Well, you know, they transferred the legalism 50:01 of the Old Testament Sabbath to the New Testament 50:04 and established 1021 laws. 50:07 You know what, the Jews who rejected Jesus, 50:12 made the Sabbath a burden. 50:15 You couldn't spit on the ground. 50:16 You couldn't travel more than a half a mile. 50:19 You couldn't pluck out your hair that was work, 50:21 You couldn't take a donkey out of a pit. 50:24 That's why Jesus everything He did, 50:26 when He freed a person, 50:27 when He healed them on the Sabbath, 50:29 He made it very clear, 50:32 it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 50:35 He relieved the suffering of the poor. 50:38 He fed the hungry. He clothed the naked. 50:40 He restored the sight to the blind. 50:42 He raised the dead. He did all these things-- 50:45 He restored mobility to those who could not walk. 50:49 He did this all on the Sabbath day 50:50 to remind the Jews that rejected Jesus, 50:55 that the Sabbath is a blessing. 50:56 Here's the amazing thing. Do you know that some actually teach 50:59 that He did that to deliberately break it? 51:01 I know that, I was going to say what you're gonna say-- 51:04 Some say that actually Jesus deliberately broke the Sabbath 51:07 to show a clean break to a resurrection day. 51:10 You know that the-- And that is, 51:11 you know, what that does effectively? 51:14 It makes Jesus a sinner 51:16 and makes Him an unworthy and unable Savior. 51:19 He would not have been a Savior of the world 51:20 had He broken the law of God. Very good point. 51:24 So now did Jesus intentionally disobey to break a tradition 51:29 or did He not disobey to reestablish to proper place-- 51:34 True meaning of the Sabbath. 51:35 The true meaning of the Sabbath. It had been distorted. 51:38 That's why by the time Jesus came, a lot of people-- 51:41 and this is a very important point. 51:43 One of the reasons why many people look at the Sabbath 51:48 as something that was solely Jewish 51:51 is because how they distorted 51:53 and how they made the Sabbath a burden. 51:56 But the Sabbath is not a burden. 51:58 The Sabbath is one of the commandments of God. 52:01 And none of the commandments are a burden. 52:02 Matter of fact go with me first quickly to 1 John. 52:05 We're gonna-- that's why we've dedicated more 52:06 than one program to-- And as you read this text, 52:08 as you're going there, let me read Revelation 14:12. 52:12 Because Revelation 14:12 talks about the saints 52:15 who keep the commandments of God in the faith of Jesus. 52:17 That's right. So if you say 52:19 keeping the commandments of God are legalism. 52:22 You're in contradiction to verses that say 52:24 that keeping the commandments of God 52:25 and the faith of Jesus are harmonious. 52:28 This passage clearly says they belong together. 52:31 That is right. It's almost reiterating James contention 52:33 that faith and works go together. 52:37 And here we're finding the commandments of God, 52:39 keeping those commandments and the faith of Jesus 52:42 are two things that are inseparable. That's right. 52:45 So when you keep the commandments, 52:47 when you keep the Sabbath, 52:48 you're actually living in harmony with Christ faith, 52:53 His practice and what He set as an example for us to do. 52:57 Somebody may say, why make such a big deal about something. 53:00 We're not making a big deal about it. 53:02 We are in fact hoping that people remember 53:06 what God made a big deal about. 53:09 You know, if we said 53:10 if the issue is over the commandment of murder, 53:14 say why are they talking about the fact 53:16 that we should not murder? 53:17 Why are they making such a big deal about it? 53:19 Remember the text that we began this program with, 53:22 we are building up the old waste places. 53:24 We are raising up the foundations 53:25 of many generations. 53:27 We are repairing the breach. 53:30 We are restoring paths to dwell in. 53:33 Before we end the program, 53:34 we're winding down the hour 53:36 but I want you to go to Isaiah 58 53:37 after I read this because I mentioned a moment ago 53:39 that Isaiah 58 became with verse 12 to 14. 53:42 I mentioned a moment ago 53:44 that the Sabbath is not a burden anymore 53:46 than any of the other commandments as a burden. 53:48 None of them is a burden. 53:49 Matter of fact, Jesus said this in 1 John Chapter 5 and verse 3. 53:54 And this is beautiful here, "For this is the love of God, 53:58 that we keep His commandments. 54:00 And His commandments are not burdensome." 54:04 It's not a burden. It's a delight. 54:06 So now would you read that for us? 54:08 Because it fits perfectly into it. 54:10 Yes, right and following that verse from Isaiah 58:12 54:13 about building the old waste places. 54:15 We find this very next-- these very next two verses, 54:18 verse 13, "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, 54:22 from doing your pleasure on my Holy day, 54:25 and call the Sabbath a delight, 54:27 the Holy day of the Lord, honorable, and shall honor Him, 54:30 not doing your own ways, 54:32 nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, 54:34 then you shall delight yourself in the Lord. 54:37 And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, 54:40 and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father 54:43 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 54:45 Notice what it says, "Call the Sabbath a delight." 54:49 It's not a burden. It's a delight, 54:52 but Satan has cleverly taken 6,000 years 54:57 to inject like a tiny little syringe-- 55:01 like a tiny little needle 55:03 on the end of a syringe filled with deception. 55:06 He's injected this into the vein of teachers today 55:10 that say it was a burden. 55:12 But now the new Christian Sabbath is a delight. 55:17 And in the next program, what we're gonna point out 55:19 is where this transition came in. 55:22 We're gonna show some of the New Testament passages 55:24 that continue to support the reiteration 55:26 of the importance of the Sabbath. 55:28 We're gonna show what Jesus did, 55:30 what the disciples did, what the Christian Church did. 55:33 And then we're gonna show 55:35 the eternal nature of the Sabbath. 55:36 We'll even answer some of the common 55:38 misconceptions right out there. 55:40 About the fact that it was nailed to the cross, 55:41 or it's legalism, or it was changed at the resurrection, 55:43 or it's the Lord's day, it doesn't really matter. 55:45 These are vitally important salvation issues. 55:48 Now you mentioned something. 55:50 You said while you-- John and John. 55:53 Making such a big deal. Making such a big deal. Okay. 55:55 Let me ask-- let me answer it this way. 55:58 Why would Satan make such a big deal about going 56:03 after this commandment over the others? 56:05 Uh, that's a very good point. 56:07 I'm gonna change the question here. 56:08 The question is why are we making a big deal out of it? 56:11 Why does Satan consider it such a big deal 56:13 as to change the day? That's right. 56:15 He is the one that's making the deal. 56:16 He brought the fight to God. 56:18 That's very good point. All right, so this isn't us. 56:21 We're not making a big deal about it. 56:22 We're defending what is clearly in scripture, 56:25 what Satan is doing here by attacking the Sabbath? 56:27 He is attacking the creator. 56:31 He's attacking the Lordship of Christ. 56:35 The salvation, the Savior of Christ. 56:38 He's attacking everything that gives Christ 56:40 that gives God authority in this earth. That's right. 56:44 And it's clearly laid out by observing his Sabbath 56:48 or the one that is set up to counterfeit it 56:52 on the first day of the week. 56:54 That's very good point. 56:55 So the fight was brought to God, 56:58 not God making a big deal out of it. 57:00 Satan's making the big deal out of it. 57:02 And if you want to get completely as far as you can 57:04 from what satan is doing to attack, 57:07 then move toward where God says, 57:10 "Keep my commandments in honor of my Holy day." 57:12 And it comes to down into this text 57:14 which we'll reiterate in another program. 57:16 He simply says to the Christian, 57:18 "If you love me, keep my commandments. 57:22 If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. 57:26 We're gonna cover more of this in the next program. 57:29 But as you know one day God's gonna make a house call. 57:31 We pray that you'll love Him and you'll be ready 57:33 when He comes. God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17