Participants: Pr. Taj Pacleb
Series Code: ROHB
Program Code: ROHB000008
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00:39 Our message tonight is entitled,
00:40 "Revelation's Eternal Sign of Love." 00:44 In Genesis 1, we read the first week of creation 00:48 and how God created the world in six little days. 00:51 On the first day of creation, the Bible says in Genesis 1. 00:54 God said, "Let there be light." And what happened? 00:56 Bang. There was light. That's the big bang. 00:59 God said, "Let there be light and there was light." 01:01 Friends, let me ask you a question. 01:02 Who did God create the light for? 01:05 Did He create it for one race 01:06 or did He create it for all races? 01:08 All races. 01:10 What about the trees and the plants 01:13 and the nice fruits? 01:14 Did God create it for one race or for all races? 01:17 Friends, I am so grateful that 01:18 all of the human race can enjoy mangos. 01:21 Amen. 01:22 And all of these wonderful fruits, 01:23 it's not just for one race, it's for the entire human race. 01:26 And who did god create marriage for? 01:28 One race or all races? 01:29 For the entire human race. 01:32 You see, all that God made was given to the whole human race. 01:37 Then after God created man, He then created a special sign 01:41 to remind man that he is special 01:44 and that he was made in the image of God. 01:46 What was the special sign that God made? 01:48 Notice, this eternal memorial of creation. 01:52 The Bible tells us in Genesis 2:1-3. 01:55 "Thus the heavens and the earth were-- 01:57 " What is that word right there? 01:59 "Finished." 02:00 Friends, I want you keep that in mind. 02:01 We're going to come back to that word. 02:02 It says, "The heavens and the earth were finished." 02:05 In other words, God got the work done. 02:08 "And all the host of them and on the seventh day 02:11 God ended his work which He had made, 02:13 and He rested the seventh day 02:14 from all His work which He had made. 02:16 And God did what, blessed the seventh day, 02:20 and sanctified it because that in it He had rested 02:24 from all his work which God created and made." 02:26 So here, we find God ends His work 02:29 on the sixth day of the week. 02:31 Adam and Eve were created at the last part 02:32 of the six day of the week. 02:34 The creation of the man, 02:35 it is finished on the sixth day of the week. 02:38 On the what day of the week? 02:39 And then on the seventh day of the week, 02:41 God created this special day. 02:43 And the Bible tells us that the God did 02:45 three specific things on this day. 02:46 How many things? 02:48 The Bible says that God blessed the seventh day. 02:50 In other words, He pronounced the blessing on the seventh 02:53 that has not found on any other day of the week. 02:56 The Bible says He also rested on this day, 02:58 not because He was tired. 02:59 He didn't rest because He was exhausted, 03:01 but rather He rested in satisfaction 03:04 at the things that He had made. 03:06 And then the Bible says that God sanctified 03:08 the seventh day of the week. 03:09 And, friends, that word sanctified is important 03:11 for our study tonight. 03:12 The word sanctified literally means, 03:13 to set apart for a holy use. 03:17 What is the word sanctified mean? 03:20 Set apart for a holy use. 03:22 Why? 03:23 Because the seventh day of the week 03:24 was to be a holy day. 03:26 God created this time period as a very sacred and holy time. 03:31 Now, friends, question. 03:32 If God created the light, the flowers, the fruits 03:35 and marriage for not just one race, but for all races, 03:38 who did God created the seventh day Sabbath for. 03:41 Did He created it for one race or for all races? 03:44 He created it for the entire human race. 03:46 Not for Jews alone. 03:47 But, friends, for all of mankind 03:49 and that's why Jesus said in the Book of Mark 2:27, 03:53 "That The Sabbath was made for man, 03:56 and not man for the Sabbath." 03:58 In other words, God made the Sabbath 04:00 as a special blessing, a special gift of love 04:02 for the entire human race. 04:05 And why did God give the Sabbath to man 04:08 at the very beginning of time? 04:09 Because God knew that if man was to work seven days a week, 04:13 man would work himself to death. 04:17 You see, the human frame requires rest. 04:21 How many of you can use more rest 04:23 and less stress in your lives? 04:26 Amen. 04:27 And that's why God gave the sevenths day of the week 04:29 from the very beginning of time as a gift of love 04:31 to the entire human race. 04:33 And, friends, in His eternal law 04:35 that He wrote with His own finger on Tablets of Stone. 04:37 God commanded the world to remember. 04:41 The Bible says, "Remember the Sabbath day, 04:44 to keep it holy. 04:45 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work. 04:47 But the seventh day-- " Notice, it does not say a seventh day. 04:51 It says what? 04:52 "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, 04:57 in it thou shall not do any work, 04:58 thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 04:59 not thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, 05:01 nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." 05:04 Why? 05:05 Why does God say to remember the seventh day Sabbath? 05:06 He points us back to creation as a reason for it because 05:10 that's where the Sabbath began, at creation. 05:13 It says, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 05:18 the sea, and all that in them is, and did what, 05:21 rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord 05:24 blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 05:26 Those are the same three things that God did 05:29 that we read in Genesis 2. 05:30 And so we find that God thought that this special sign, 05:34 this special day was so important 05:35 that He placed it in the Ten Commandments. 05:37 And by the way, friends, last time I checked, 05:39 it was not called the ten opinions or the ten suggestions, 05:43 it was called the Ten Commandments. 05:44 Can you say, amen? 05:45 Not, friends, it's interesting. 05:46 Did you notice that the only commandment 05:49 that God specifically says, remember. 05:52 The only one that starts with the word remember 05:55 is the very one that majority of the world, 05:58 and not just the world, 05:59 but majority of the Christian world has forgotten. 06:03 You see, most Christian churches have nine commandments 06:05 and they haven't forgot those, 06:07 but when it comes for some reason 06:09 to this fourth commandment, 06:10 the very one God said, remember that's the one 06:13 that people have forgotten. 06:14 They sweep it under the rug as if it's not important 06:17 that the others are more important. 06:18 But, friends, let me ask you a question. 06:20 Is one command of God more important than another? 06:23 Friends, they are all important. 06:24 In fact, notice what the New Testament says 06:26 in James 2:10. 06:28 Please, write it down. 06:29 James 2:10 tells us. 06:31 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, 06:34 and yet offend in--" How many points? 06:37 "One point, he is guilty of, how much? 06:39 And, friends, the law that he's talking about, 06:42 in the context you read the versus preceding, 06:44 it's talking about the ten commandments. 06:46 And, friends, what we're going to do tonight 06:47 is we're going to examine the history 06:50 of how God has been calling mankind to remember Him 06:54 and His special sign from the very beginning 06:57 all the way to the end of time. 06:59 And so we're going to trace the history tonight. 07:01 And if you are ready to do this, would you please say amen? 07:03 I want you to notice, friends, 07:04 that throughout the Old Testament 07:06 the Sabbath was always a special sign 07:09 between God and His people. 07:12 Abraham, brother and sisters. 07:13 The Bible tells us he is the father of faith 07:14 and he kept God's commandments. 07:16 We looked at that verse in Genesis 07:17 and a part of that law was the seven-day Sabbath. 07:20 He passed these beautiful truths down to his children 07:22 in the nation of Israel. 07:23 But then, you remember when the Israelites were 07:26 in Egyptian bondage. 07:28 They were forced to work seven days a week, non-stop. 07:32 They had no rests. 07:35 And, friends, when you are constantly working, 07:37 it's easy to forget the weekly cycle. 07:39 And even though they've forgot the Sabbath 07:42 or were not able to keep the Sabbath, 07:43 God did not forget His children. 07:45 He sent a deliver to set them free from Egyptian bondage, 07:49 so that they could rest and worship God 07:52 according to the dictates of their own conscious. 07:54 Do you remember, friends? 07:55 On their way out of Egypt, 07:57 God let them through the wilderness. 07:59 And where was their destination? 08:02 The Promise Land. Is that right? 08:04 And, friends, just as God brought them 08:06 out of the bondage of Egyptian, 08:08 He has done the same thing with us tonight. 08:10 You see, Egypt is a type of sin and God wants to free us 08:14 from the slavery of sin and now we're in the wilderness. 08:17 But where are we heading? 08:19 To the heavenly Canaan, the Heavenly Promise Land. 08:22 Can you say amen? 08:23 And right now we are in the wilderness. 08:25 This world is not our home, we are just passing through. 08:28 And even though Hawaii is paradise, 08:30 it has nothing upon the heavenly paradise God has for us. 08:32 Can you say amen? 08:34 It's going to be even greater. 08:35 So right now, friends, we are wandering in the wilderness 08:37 and just as they were wandering in the wilderness, 08:39 God reinstituted the weekly cycle 08:43 and reinstituted the seventh day Sabbath. 08:46 And how did He do this? 08:47 Not just by writing it down on Table of Stone 08:50 and in His law, but he did it first 08:52 by raining manna down from heaven. 08:55 I invite you to take your Bible with me 08:57 and go to the Book of Exodus 16, 08:59 as we find how God reinstituted the weekly cycle 09:03 even before he gave the Ten Commandments 09:06 in written stone on Mount Sinai. 09:08 The Bible says in Exodus 16:26, 09:11 God says, "Six days shall you gather it. 09:13 Talking about the heavenly bread. 09:15 But on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, 09:18 in it there shall be none. 09:19 And it came to pass that there went out 09:21 some of the people on the seventh day 09:22 for to gather and they found none. 09:24 And the Lord said to Moses, 09:25 how long refuse you to keep my, what, 09:29 commandments and my laws? 09:30 See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, 09:32 therefore he gives you on the sixth day. 09:35 On the which day? 09:36 The sixth day, the bread of two days, 09:38 abide ye every man in his place 09:40 and let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 09:43 So the people did what? 09:45 Rested on the seventh day." 09:47 Here we find Israel's hungry. 09:48 God said, "I am going rain down manna from heaven 09:50 and for the first six days 09:52 you will gather it every single morning. 09:54 I am going to provide for your daily needs, 09:57 but you know, there are some people that were lazy. 10:00 There are some people that wanted 10:01 to sleep in the next morning. 10:02 And so what they try to do, they try to gather 10:05 extra amount of bread to preserve for the next day 10:08 so that next day they can sleep in. 10:10 But they find it, whenever they gather an extra portion 10:12 and they try to reserve it for the following day, 10:15 it would melt away, it would be unfit for them to be consumed. 10:18 You see, if they wanted to eat, 10:20 they had to go out and gather bread every single day. 10:24 Through this, God was trying to teach His children 10:26 daily dependence on Him. 10:29 Can you say amen? 10:31 And remember, when Jesus told us to pray. 10:32 He said, when we pray, we ought to say, 10:34 "Give us this day our weekly bread." 10:38 Is that what He says? Not our weekly bread, right? 10:41 Oh, what kind of bread? 10:42 But, friends, realize many people only eats 10:44 spiritually once a week. 10:46 They go to church and the ministers spoon-feeds them. 10:49 They are eating once a week and no wonder 10:51 why we have spiritual weaklings. 10:54 Because what happens if you eat only once a week? 10:56 You go weak and you starve and you end up dying. 10:59 Isn't that right? 11:00 You see, brothers and sisters, 11:01 we need to eat the word of God every single day. 11:05 The Bible says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, 11:07 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 11:10 And so God was trying to teach them and us tonight 11:12 that I'll take care of your daily needs 11:15 as long as you trust me day by day. 11:18 Can you say amen? 11:19 And so this is what happened, God will rain down bread 11:21 for the first five days, 11:22 but then on the sixth day of the week, the what day? 11:25 The sixth day in the Bible was called the preparation day. 11:28 What was they call it? 11:30 And on the preparation day, the sixth day of the week, 11:32 God will rain down a double portion of manna 11:35 and that extra portion that was gathered on the sixth day 11:39 would be preserved to the seventh day 11:41 which was the Sabbath because on that day 11:43 there will be no manna from heaven 11:44 because God wanted the people to rest 11:46 and not to have to worry. 11:49 Not to have to, what? 11:50 Worry about their physical necessities. 11:55 And God did this every single week 11:58 for 40 years in the wilderness. 12:00 Friends, I want you to notice what would happen. 12:03 How many miracles did God performed 12:05 to reinstitute the weekly cycle? 12:07 At least three miracles a week. 12:09 What is the first miracle? 12:10 That He rained down manna from heaven. 12:12 Second miracle, on the sixth day it was the double portion. 12:15 Third miracle, on that portion was preserved to the seventh. 12:18 And so at least three miracles a week, 12:20 every single week. 12:21 For 52 weeks per year, for 40 years equals 12:26 6,240 miracles simply to reinstitute the weekly cycle. 12:32 Friends, God has never performed that amount of miracles 12:35 for anything else in the Bible. 12:37 God was wanting His people to understand 12:39 the importance of rest and trust in Him. 12:44 Can you say amen? 12:45 And so God was saying, I will take care of your needs. 12:48 I will provide for all of your physical needs 12:50 if you trust me and follow me. 12:52 And so we find that the Sabbath, friends, 12:54 was a special sign of man's trust in God's watch care 12:59 and God's watch care over those who chose to follow Him. 13:03 And such to God was saying, 13:04 I will always provide for your physical needs 13:06 as long as you put Me first. 13:08 Can you say amen? 13:10 Bible tells us that God honors those who honor Him 13:13 and we should never be afraid of following the Lord. 13:15 You know, sometimes following the Lord might cost us things, 13:18 it might costs us a sacrifice, a surrender, 13:21 maybe a losing of a job or someone not looking at us funny 13:25 or thinking that we were weird, but friends, 13:27 if we serve the Lord and trust Him and rest in Him, 13:31 He will always take care of us. 13:32 And I'm thankful for that. How about you? 13:35 And so we find the Sabbath was a special sign. 13:37 Now I want you to notice, the Sabbath not only taught us 13:40 about creation and about how God cares about us 13:44 provides for our needs, but the Sabbath was also a sign 13:47 of how God wants to save us and sanctify us. 13:51 Notice what it says in Ezekiel 20:12. 13:54 The Bible says, "Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, 13:58 to be a--" What is that word? 14:00 "A sign between me and them, that they might know 14:03 that I am the Lord that, does what? 14:05 Sanctify them." 14:06 So we find that the Sabbath was a sign 14:08 that God is the Lord and the Lord sanctifies us. 14:12 And, friends, remind me. 14:13 What is that word sanctify mean? 14:14 To set apart for a holy use. 14:18 You see, the same way God set apart the seventh day 14:21 as holy time, He wants to do that with you and with me. 14:25 He wants to set us apart from the world. 14:27 He wants to make us holy. 14:29 He wants to set us aside for salvation. 14:32 And, friends, when we keep the seven-day Sabbath, 14:34 that is an outwards sign that we acknowledge. 14:36 God, I understand that I can never save or sanctify myself 14:41 that all my works are like filthy rags. 14:43 Therefore, I am resting in the seventh day of the week, 14:46 acknowledging that You re the only one 14:48 that can sanctify or save me, 14:50 that You are the Lord of my life. 14:52 You see, this is important because many people think 14:54 that those who keep the Sabbath are legalists, 14:57 trying to work their way to heaven. 14:58 But in reality, the Sabbath teaches us just the opposite. 15:02 You see, when we rest on the seventh day, 15:03 we are acknowledging. 15:05 We're saying to God, God, I understand 15:06 that if I was to work seven days a week, 15:08 I can never work my way to heaven. 15:11 My good deeds are filthy rags. 15:13 Therefore, I'm resting in Your work. 15:16 In whose work? 15:18 The work that you have done, I am resting in it 15:21 because I know that you are the only one that can save me 15:24 and so I am giving you the permission to complete the work 15:27 in my life. 15:28 It's an outward sign how God is the only one 15:31 that can save us and sanctify us. 15:34 Thus, we see that the Sabbath is also a symbol of salvation 15:38 by grace and grace alone, not of works 15:42 unless any man should bow. 15:43 Can you say amen? 15:44 It teaches us about resting in the completed work of Christ. 15:49 It's only by your work, Lord, for me and in me 15:52 that I can be saved. 15:54 But, you know, there are some Christians that are confused. 15:57 They think that when Jesus came 15:58 that He came to change the Sabbath 16:00 or to do away with the law. 16:01 Notice what it says in Matthew 5:17. 16:05 "Think not that I am come 16:07 to destroy the law, or the prophets. 16:08 I am not come to destroy, but to, what?" 16:11 So Jesus said, don't even entertain the thought 16:14 that I am come to destroy the law. 16:15 This is not the reason why I've come. 16:17 I came not to destroy, but to fulfill it. 16:19 And, friends, that word fulfill means to fill to the full. 16:24 To fill out in its full measure. 16:26 And what it means is to establish. 16:28 That's what it means in the original language. 16:31 Jesus came not to destroy the law, 16:33 but to live it out, to fill it to the full, 16:35 to give us an example of what it means 16:37 to keep the law of God motivated by love for our Lord. 16:42 And, friends, when Jesus came, 16:44 He kept the seventh day Sabbath and He showed us 16:47 what it means to truly enter into the sweet rest of the Lord. 16:51 You see, friends, when you study the gospels 16:53 you will discover that during the time of Christ, 16:56 the Sabbath commandment was burdensome to many people. 17:00 And the reason why is because of the Pharisees. 17:02 The who? 17:04 The religious leaders of the day, the pastors of the day. 17:07 They attached many manmade requirements 17:10 to God's commandment. 17:12 There are many legalists that lost the joy of Sabbath-keeping 17:16 by attaching their own rules and regulations. 17:19 You study the Jewish, extra Jewish writings, 17:21 the mission and what not. 17:22 They had so many laws that they attached to the Sabbath 17:25 that was not from God. 17:27 So they made it a very burdensome 17:29 and a very legalistic day. 17:31 And so Christ, when He came, He came to remove 17:34 the heavy yoke that the Jews placed upon the Sabbath. 17:38 And through His own life, he came to show us 17:41 what it really means to keep it in holiness. 17:43 You see, the Pharisees made it a burden, 17:45 but Christ made it a blessing. 17:48 Can you say amen? 17:49 And, friends, we have to be clear tonight. 17:51 You know, there are many Christians who think 17:52 that Jesus was against the Sabbath, but not at all. 17:55 He was against the legalistic way 17:57 that the Pharisees were keeping the Sabbath, 17:59 but He came to live up the Sabbath. 18:01 It shows what it really means find sweet joy and rest in it 18:04 and many Christians have thrown the baby out 18:07 with the bath water. 18:08 They think because Jesus was against 18:10 the legalistic requirements of the Pharisees 18:12 that He was against the law of God, 18:13 but we see that, that is not the case. 18:15 He came to fill it to the full to live it out showing us 18:19 what it means to enter in to the rest of the Lord. 18:22 And, friends, if that's clear, would you please say amen? 18:24 Now notice, Luke 4:16 the Bible tells us, 18:27 " And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, 18:30 and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue 18:33 on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read." 18:37 Here we find Jesus was a Sabbath-keeper 18:39 and He is our example in all things. 18:41 Can you say amen? He is fulfilling it. 18:43 He's living it out, giving us an example to follow. 18:46 Now we did learned last that night there was a law 18:48 that was abolished at the cross, there was a law that was 18:52 nailed to the cross that we don't have to keep anymore, 18:54 but it wasn't the ten commandants. 18:56 Which law was it, tell me? 18:58 It was the ceremonial laws, right? 19:00 The laws of Moses, the sacrificial laws. 19:03 Notice, Colossians 2:14 is not talking about 19:05 the seventh day Sabbath or the tem commandments, 19:08 it's talking about the sacrificial ceremonial laws 19:11 that were given to take care of sin. 19:14 Notice in Colossians 2:14 it says, 19:17 "Blotting out the handwriting of what, 19:20 ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, 19:23 took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." 19:27 You see, friends, these ceremonial 19:29 sacrificial ordinances, these were the ones 19:31 that were nailed to the cross. 19:32 So the reason why they were finished at the cross 19:34 is because these ordinances were prophesies 19:38 to point us to Christ. 19:40 Notice Verse 17, it tells us which law it's referring to. 19:43 Verse 17 tells us, "Which are a shadow of, what? 19:48 Things to come, but the body is of, who? 19:52 So the Bible tells us that the sacrificial ordinances, 19:55 the ceremonies were simply shadows prefiguring 19:58 and pointing us to Jesus Christ. 20:00 And so when Jesus comes in the flesh, 20:02 there's no longer any need 20:04 for these sacrificial ceremonial laws, 20:06 but it's not referring to the Ten Commandments 20:08 nor the seventh day Sabbath. 20:09 It's referring to the sacrifices. 20:11 Now, friends, everything associated with the 20:13 earthly temple came to an end in Jesus. 20:17 And apart of this ceremonial law were the ceremonial feast days 20:22 that also pointed and taught about Jesus Christ. 20:25 Now these feast days in the Bible were also called Sabbaths 20:29 because on these days God wanted His people to rest as well. 20:32 And there are seven feasts that are part of this law, 20:35 the feast of Passover and trumpets and Pentecost, 20:37 the day of atonement, tabernacle and so forth and so on. 20:40 And, friends, there are many people who are confused. 20:43 They think that the yearly feast Sabbaths 20:45 were the same thing as the weekly seventh day Sabbaths. 20:48 And there are even some people in the Christian world 20:50 that try to place a yearly feast days 20:52 on an equal plain with the weakly seventh day Sabbath. 20:55 But, friends, I want to show you on the screen 20:57 that they were a part of two different and distinctive laws. 21:01 You see, the seventh day Sabbath 21:03 was a part of the Ten Commandments. 21:04 It was the fourth commandment, 21:05 whereas the feast Sabbath 21:07 were part of the ceremonial ordinances. 21:09 The seventh day Sabbath fell every single week, 21:12 every seventh day whereas the early feast Sabbath, 21:14 it's fell on different days and dates throughout the year. 21:17 The seventh day Sabbath was given before sin ever existed 21:20 way back in the Garden of Eden 21:22 whereas the feast days were given after sin. 21:24 Why? Because they-- It will teach us 21:26 about the savior of sin, which is Jesus. 21:29 The seventh day Sabbath was written by God's own finger, 21:33 whereas the early feast Sabbaths were handwritten by Mosses. 21:36 The seventh day Sabbath was written on stone, 21:38 the feast Sabbaths written in a book, 21:39 seventh day Sabbath placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, 21:42 the feast Sabbaths placed on the side of the Ark of the Covenant. 21:46 The seventh day Sabbath with the rest of the ten 21:48 will lasts for all eternity 21:50 whereas the yearly feast Sabbaths came to an end 21:52 and were nailed to the cross. 21:55 You see, friends, the Bible tells us very clearly 21:58 that there were two different 21:59 and distinctive laws that they are part of. 22:02 Are you with me, yes or no? 22:04 Now, friends, the reason why these came to an end once again 22:06 is because they were to point us to Jesus. 22:09 They were shadows of things to come. 22:13 And, friends, when we understand-- 22:15 Here's the question. 22:16 Should Christians observe these yearly fest Sabbaths? 22:19 Many people are asking this and I don't have the time to 22:21 get into it tonight, but I am going to give you handout 22:23 on your way out tonight that answers this question 22:25 about a four or five page handout. 22:27 Should Christians observe the Israelite festivals? 22:29 And that explains it in detail. 22:31 Now here's the short answer though. 22:32 We ought to study these feast to understand 22:35 and examine their significance in Christ. 22:38 Well, because Christ has come and when we understand 22:40 how it teaches us about Jesus, 22:43 it is no longer necessary to keep these feast Sabbaths. 22:46 You see, when the Bible tells us. 22:48 Therefore let's keep the feasts we do it in a spiritual way 22:51 by following Jesus in the anti-typical Day of Atonement. 22:54 You remember we studied it the other night 22:55 that where is Jesus right now. 22:57 He is in heaven. In where? 22:59 The Most Holy Place because this is the Day of Atonement. 23:03 Not a literal day, but the anti- typical day of atonement 23:06 where He is cleansing the century above. 23:08 And we join Him by faith as we search our hearts 23:12 and let Him cleanse the soul century of sin 23:15 by confession and repentance to God. 23:18 And, friends, there's a lot more we can say about that, 23:21 but don't miss the main point that I am trying to make. 23:23 Not all you needed that, but some of you perhaps did. 23:25 Here's what everyone needs though tonight 23:27 is that-- s that "Christ came to finish, not the moral law 23:30 or the Ten Commandments, 23:32 but He came to put and end to the ceremonial law, 23:34 the ordinance that was to teach us 23:36 about His ministry here in this world." 23:39 And, friends, if that's clear would you please say amen? 23:41 The fourth commandment still remains 23:43 just like the rest of the ten. 23:44 And how do we know that? Because, friends, you tell me, 23:46 is it right or wrong to kill? 23:50 Friend, you need to be a lot quicker than that. 23:53 Is it wrong to kill, yes or no? 23:55 Is it wrong to abort babies, yes or no? 23:58 Is it wrong to steal? 24:00 What about commit adultery? 24:02 What about taking God's name in vain? 24:04 And why is it wrong? 24:05 Because that's the Ten Commandments. 24:07 And apart of those same commandments that we say, yes, 24:10 that's-- We still can't kill after the cause, 24:12 apart of that same command that says 24:14 is the fourth commandment that says, 24:15 remember the seventh day Sabbath. 24:17 You see, we cannot divorce the fourth commandment 24:19 from the Ten Commandments. 24:21 Either they're all going to stand together 24:23 or they're all going to fall together. 24:26 We can't treat God's law like a buffet. 24:28 What do you do at buffet? 24:30 You pick and choose, isn't that right? 24:32 But, friends, God as we mentioned before, 24:34 "He who keeps the whole law." 24:35 And, you know, friend, in one point is guilty of all. 24:38 And therefore just as Paul said in the Book of Hebrews 4:9, 24:43 "There remains therefore a rest to the people of God." 24:49 And, friends, how many of you are thankful 24:51 that there is still remains a rest even after the cross? 24:54 Can you say amen? 24:55 Now that's clear in the Bible that 24:58 the seventh day is the Sabbath, 24:59 but many people asked, "Well, can we really be sure 25:01 which day the seventh day of the week it is?" 25:04 We know that it doesn't say a seventh day 25:06 as if we can just chose one out of seven. 25:09 It says the seventh day. 25:10 And so many people wondering, 25:11 can we really be sure which day it is. 25:13 There is seven days in the week, which one is it? 25:15 We have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 25:17 Thursday, Friday, Saturday. 25:18 Which one is the biblical Sabbath? 25:19 Well, friends, if we could not know what day 25:23 the seventh day of the week was, that means that 25:26 this is the law that we would not be able to keep. 25:29 And, friends, would God ask us 25:31 to do something that it's impossible to do? 25:34 Would God ever ask us to do something 25:35 that is impossible, yes or no? 25:37 Of course, not. 25:38 If He did, He would be unfair and unjust. 25:41 But, friends, God is a fair and a juts God. 25:43 Can you say amen? 25:45 And so He has not left us to guess 25:47 which day the seven day of the week is. 25:49 There are many ways to confirm it. 25:51 In what ways? 25:53 Friends, the Bible makes it clear 25:55 which day the seventh day of the week is. 25:57 Not only that, but dictionaries make it clear, the calendars, 26:00 even astronomy and language make it clear 26:03 which day the seventh day of the week is. 26:05 And so first let's go to the Bible 26:07 to find out which day it is. 26:08 Please open now with me to the Book of Luke 23. 26:11 Luke. What chapter are we going to? 26:14 Friends, remember what are we doing tonight? 26:16 Tonight, we are defining what the sign is. 26:20 And then tomorrow night, we'll discover 26:23 why it's so important. 26:25 And so, friends, listen tonight it's 26:26 somewhat of an informational topic, 26:28 somewhat of a proof texting you can say, 26:30 but that's essential because it's foundational. 26:32 And a house is only as strong as its foundation. 26:35 And so as we have a good solid foundation 26:38 then we'll be able to understand the theological house that we'll 26:41 continue to built in the word of God, 26:44 from the word of God, I should say. 26:45 And so notice, what day is the seventh day of the week? 26:49 Notice in the Book of Luke 23:53, the Bible says, 26:54 "And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, 26:56 and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, 27:00 wherein never man before was laid. 27:02 And that day was the, what? 27:05 Preparation, and the Sabbath drew on." 27:09 So here, we find Jesus dies 27:11 on what, the Bible calls the day of preparation, 27:15 which was the sixth day of the week, 27:17 the day before the Sabbath day. 27:20 Friends, what day the Jesus died? 27:21 The sixth day of the week. 27:23 And, friends, remember when He died on the cross, 27:25 there was something He said just before He died. 27:28 Do you remember what He said? 27:29 He said, "It is finished." 27:34 And then he dies and then immediately after that, 27:37 His body has taken down cross 27:40 and is placed in the sepulcher where the body of Jesus 27:44 where he rests on which day? 27:47 On the Sabbath day. 27:48 Friends, when was the last time God ended 27:51 something on the sixth say and the rested the seventh day? 27:55 When was the last time? 27:56 When He created man, remember that? 27:58 On the sixth day of the week, God made man 28:01 and right after He created man, it was finished. 28:04 And then He rests on the first Sabbath of creation. 28:08 And we find that what God did when He created man, 28:12 He repeats when He redeems man. 28:16 When He recreates man by sacrificing on cross. 28:20 Jesus says, it is finish, He dies and through His death 28:24 man can be redeemed or man can be restored 28:27 or recreated we could say. 28:29 And then after that, Jesus rests on the Sabbath in His death 28:32 which gives us another beautiful dimension of the Sabbath. 28:35 It doesn't just point us back to creation, 28:38 but it points us to the fact that Jesus is our Savior, 28:41 our sacrifice, He spilt His blood 28:43 and because of His sacrifice, 28:45 we are redeemed and restored by His grace. 28:48 Can you say amen? 28:49 And so we find Jesus rests in the tomb on the Sabbath 28:52 and then notice what day He rose from the grave. 28:55 Let's go now to Chapter 24:1. 28:58 Luke 24:1, the Bible says, 29:00 "Now upon the first day of the week." 29:02 The what number of the day? 29:04 "Very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, 29:08 bringing the spices which they had prepared 29:09 and certain others with them and they found the stone 29:12 rolled away from the sepulcher. 29:14 And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus." 29:17 Why was His body was not there? 29:18 Because He is risen. He is alive. 29:21 We serve a risen Savior. Can you say amen? 29:23 But what day did Jesus resurrect from the grave? 29:27 The Bible says, it was the morning of the first day 29:32 of the week. 29:33 So here we find the sequence of the death, 29:36 bury and resurrection of Christ. 29:38 It helps us to deduce what day the seventh day of the week is. 29:42 Jesus dies on the sixth day of the week. 29:44 That's called the preparation day 29:46 the day before the Sabbath. 29:47 He rests in the tomb on the seventh day Sabbath. 29:50 And then He resurrects on the first day of the week. 29:52 That's' the day of resurrection, friends. 29:54 Think about it, what day do we call the day that Jesus died? 29:58 We call that Good Friday. 30:01 And the day that He resurrected from the grave 30:03 we called it Easter Sunday. 30:06 And so the day between the day He died 30:09 and day He rose again is the seventh day of the week. 30:12 It is the Sabbath. And what day is it? 30:14 It's Saturday, the seventh day of the week. 30:17 And, friends, you can also go to the dictionary to confirm this. 30:20 If you look up the word Saturday in Webster's dictionary, 30:23 the definition of the word Saturday 30:25 is the seventh day of the week. 30:27 Look up the word Sunday, the dictionary definition. 30:30 It's the first day of the week. 30:31 Not only that, but if you go to the calendar-- 30:33 Most calendars show us 30:34 that Sunday is the first day of the week 30:37 and that Saturday is the seventh day of the week. 30:40 Friends, the weekly cycle 30:41 during Christ's day is the same weekly cycle of today. 30:44 The day that we call Saturday 30:45 is the day that He kept as the Sabbath 30:48 back in the first century. 30:50 You see, friends, 30:51 the days of the week have never been altered. 30:52 In fact, let me give you the history. 30:54 The calendar that we use today 30:56 is called the Gregorian calendar. 30:59 The what calendar? 31:01 The calendar that was used during the time of Christ 31:03 in the first century was called the Julian calendar. 31:05 Which calendar? 31:06 And if you put the Julian calendar 31:08 and the Gregorian calendar side by side, 31:10 the day that was the Sabbath in the Julian is the day-- 31:12 Is the same day that we call Saturday, 31:15 the seventh day of the week. 31:17 And, friends, another way we can know for sure 31:19 what day the seventh day is through language. 31:20 Did you know that in over 105 languages in the world 31:24 the word for the seventh day of the week is not Saturday 31:27 like, we use in English, but it's the word Sabbath. 31:31 Let me give you few examples. 31:32 In Hebrew, it's the word Shabbat. 31:35 Can you say that? Shabbat. 31:36 In Greek, it's Sabbaton. 31:39 In Portuguese and Spanish, it's Sabado. 31:42 In Russian, it's Subbata. 31:44 In Polish, Sobota. 31:46 In Arabic, Sabt. 31:47 In French, Samedi. 31:49 In Armenian, Shapat. 31:51 And over hundred languages around the world 31:53 the word for the seventh day of the week, 31:55 Saturday is indeed Sabbath. 31:58 And, friends, if that's clear, would you please say amen? 32:01 Now, friends, if this is the case-- 32:03 I know the next question 32:04 you're probably wondering right now is this. 32:05 Well, why do most people keep Sunday as the Sabbath, 32:09 if that's the first day of the week? 32:11 I mean, that's the next logical question. 32:13 Friends, when I first heard this, 32:14 that was the question I asked. 32:15 I mean, if the seventh day of the week is Saturday 32:18 and Sunday is the first day of the week, 32:20 then why do the most people keep Sunday as the Sabbath. 32:22 And, friends, the answer is simple. 32:24 It's because, that's the day 32:25 that Jesus resurrected from the grave. 32:27 And many people think and assume 32:30 that because Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week 32:32 that that somehow changed 32:35 what God wrote with His own finger on Tablets of Stone. 32:39 Friends, you will not find that in the Bible. 32:41 In fact, you find just the opposite. 32:43 I want you to notice. 32:44 In Matthew 24, Jesus prophesied 32:47 about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. 32:50 He said to His people that the Roman armies 32:52 would come to destroy Jerusalem 32:53 and they will level the sanctuary. 32:55 And Jesus said, "When you see the armies come, 32:57 I want you to flee to the mountains for your life." 33:01 And then He added a very important commandment 33:04 to this-- to flee. 33:06 Notice what He said in Matthew 24:20. 33:09 "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, 33:12 neither on the," what day? 33:14 Sabbath day. 33:15 So Jesus said, "When the armies come to destroy Jerusalem, 33:19 you need to be praying that you don't have to flee 33:21 to the mountains in the winter nor on the Sabbath day." 33:23 Now, friends, question. 33:25 Why did Jesus asked disciples to pray about this? 33:28 Obviously, He did not want them 33:30 to have to flee to the mountains in the winter 33:33 because it would be hard to survive 33:35 in the cold weather during the winter season, 33:38 but He also said pray 33:39 that it doesn't happened on the Sabbath day, why? 33:42 Because think about it. 33:43 Being attack on the Sabbath 33:45 would have caused them to be so stressed out and worried. 33:48 They would break the Sabbath. 33:50 But Jesus said, "Pray that it doesn't happen on the Sabbath." 33:53 Because Jesus did not want them to break the Sabbath, 33:56 not even to save their lives, 33:59 much less to save a job, friends. 34:02 Now tell me, do you think Jesus knew exactly 34:05 when Jerusalem was going to be destroyed? 34:07 Yes or no? Of course. 34:09 And when was Jerusalem destroyed? 34:11 It happened about 40 years 34:13 after the resurrection, in the year AD 70. 34:18 Now, friends, why did Christ ask the disciples 34:20 to pray that they wouldn't have to flee on the Sabbath 34:23 when He knew that this event 34:25 would happen after the resurrection? 34:27 Because Jesus knew that the resurrection 34:29 would not change the Sabbath. 34:30 Are you with me, yes or no? 34:32 It remains the same. 34:33 Otherwise, Jesus wouldn't have asked them 34:35 to pray that they wouldn't have to flee on the Sabbath. 34:37 You would said, "Pray that you wouldn't have to flee 34:39 on the first day of the week 34:41 if the resurrection changed the Sabbath." 34:43 Don't miss the point. 34:44 Christ intended His people 34:46 to keep the Sabbath even 40 years after His resurrection. 34:50 Friends, the resurrection does not change 34:52 what God wrote with His own finger on Tablets of Stone. 34:56 Are you with me, yes or no? 34:57 And remember, friends, when people say, 34:59 it's written in stone, what do they mean by that? 35:02 They mean that it can't be changed. 35:05 And that's the same thing with the Sabbath. 35:07 And not only that, friends, but I want you to notice. 35:09 We even find in the New Testament, 35:10 God's people, the disciples 35:12 keeping the Sabbath after the resurrection. 35:14 And we find this happening over 80 times in the New Testament. 35:20 How many times? 35:21 The New Testament shows us God's church. 35:24 The New Testament church made of Jews and Gentiles 35:26 keeping the Sabbath over 80 times. 35:28 Now, friends, let's take a look at all 80 times 35:30 very quickly before we close tonight. 35:32 And don't be nervous. 35:33 It's going to go by very quickly. 35:34 Here's what the Bible tells us. 35:36 Please, write it down. 35:37 Acts 13:14, the Bible says, 35:40 "And they came to Antioch in Pisidia, 35:42 and went into the synagogue on the," what? 35:45 "On the Sabbath day, and sat down." 35:48 This is after the resurrection of Christ. 35:50 They go into the synagogue 35:51 and the Jews asked the Apostle Paul to preach to them. 35:54 Now, friends, listen. 35:55 If the Sabbath was changed to the first day of the week 35:58 because of the resurrection, 35:59 Paul when he preached on that Sabbath would have told them. 36:02 Hey, we need to start keeping the first day of the week, 36:05 but nowhere does he mentioned this in his sermon 36:08 or any of his writings. 36:09 Now if anyone knew that 36:11 the resurrection would change the Sabbath, 36:12 surely it would be Paul 36:14 because he was converted three-and-a-half years 36:17 after the resurrection of Christ. 36:20 But, friends, he makes no reference 36:22 to it being changed because it wasn't. 36:24 In fact, I want you to notice what happened 36:25 when the sermon was over. 36:26 There were some gentile believers 36:28 that wanted Paul to preach to them as well. 36:29 And in verses 42-44, the Bible says, 36:33 "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles." 36:36 The who? 36:37 "The Gentiles besought that these words might be 36:40 preached to them," when, "the next Sabbath." 36:42 And so they said, "Paul, would you please 36:44 give us the sermon the next Sabbath?" 36:45 And, friends, listen, 36:46 if the Sabbath was changed to the first day of the week 36:48 or if the Sabbath was just for the Jews 36:50 and Sunday was for the gentiles, 36:52 Paul would have told these gentile believers, 36:53 hey, you don't have to wait till next Sabbath, 36:55 just come tomorrow morning, 36:56 we can have Sunday school and Sunday worship. 36:59 But he doesn't say this, friends. 37:01 In fact, notice what he continued to say then, 37:03 in the next verse, "Paul and Barnabas, 37:06 who, speaking to them, persuaded them." 37:09 What is that word? 37:10 "Continue in the, what, grace of God." 37:13 You see, friends, these were believers, gentile believers, 37:16 and they were not under the law, 37:18 they were under grace. 37:20 They were grace filled Christians. 37:22 Paul said, "Continue in the grace." 37:24 And yet we see that even though 37:26 they were grace filled Christians, 37:28 they still kept the Sabbath. 37:29 You know why? 37:30 Because people who are filled with the grace of God, 37:31 they don't want to keep the Sabbath day 37:33 as a special sign between them and God. 37:35 "And the next Sabbath day, 37:37 came almost the whole city together 37:40 to hear the word of God." 37:43 Now sometimes the New Testament Church had no place to worship. 37:47 So notice what they did. 37:48 They went out in nature and they worship God. 37:50 In Acts 16:13, it says, 37:52 "And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, 37:54 where prayer was customarily made." 37:56 You see, they were able to worship God in nature. 37:58 Why? 37:59 Because remember, it's not the place that's holy, 38:01 it is the, what? 38:03 The time that is holy. 38:05 In fact, notice another one. 38:07 Acts 18:4, it says, talking about the Apostle Paul 38:10 when he was at Corinth. 38:11 It says, "And he reasoned in the synagogue, 38:14 how many Sabbaths? 38:15 Every Sabbath, and persuaded, who, the Jews and the Greeks." 38:21 Both Jew and the gentile keeping the Sabbath 38:23 after the resurrection of Christ. 38:25 And it says the Paul persuaded, 38:26 he was there every single Sabbath. 38:28 This happened in Corinth 38:29 and Paul was in the Church of Corinth 38:31 for one-and-a-half years. 38:33 And, friends, do you know how many Sabbaths 38:34 is there in one-and-a-half years? 38:36 Seventy-eight. 38:37 And so there you have most of the Sabbaths right there. 38:39 Seventy-eight times the Apostle Paul 38:41 and the New Testament Church, 38:42 Jew and gentile keeping the seventh day Sabbath. 38:45 We see, both in the Old Testament 38:47 and in the New Testament, 38:48 the Sabbath was a special sign of a special relationship 38:51 between God and His people. 38:53 And, friends, if this is clear, would you please say amen? 38:56 Now some might be wondering. 38:58 What about when the apostles worship 39:00 on the first day of the week? 39:01 I mean, didn't they have a church service in Acts 20, 39:04 on the first day of the week? 39:06 And, friends, the answer is yes. 39:07 They worship on the first day of the week. 39:09 Not only the worship on the first day, 39:11 but they worship on the second 39:12 and the third and the fourth 39:14 and the fifth and the sixth, and especially the seventh. 39:16 You see, friends, 39:17 we should worship God every day of the week. 39:20 Can you say amen? 39:21 You see, our lives ought to constantly be worshipping God. 39:25 You see, we can worship God every single day of the week 39:29 but, friends, the Sabbath is not just a day of worship. 39:32 It's a day to cease from all our secular activities. 39:36 It's a 24 hour period, not just a day to go to church, 39:39 but a 24 hour period to totally unplugged from the world, 39:43 and this is what the human heart really needs. 39:46 It's a day to cease from a secular. 39:47 We don't have to worry about paying the bills 39:49 and going out and doing Aarons 39:51 or mowing the lawn or catching the football game. 39:53 All of these things, we can put all those aside 39:56 totally unplugged from the world 39:58 and plug in to the sweet rest of Jesus. 40:02 Now, friends, I'm going to give you 40:03 a handout on your way out tonight 40:04 that explains eight biblical principles 40:06 of what it means to keep the Sabbath day holy. 40:08 Because many people who keeps Sunday as the Sabbath for them. 40:11 It's just a day to go to church, 40:12 and then after that they do their own thing. 40:13 But, friends, biblically 40:15 it's 24 hours of sweet sacred time with Jesus. 40:20 Now, friends, while we can worship God every single day, 40:23 we cannot keep every day holy. 40:26 Do you know why? 40:27 Because not every day is holy to begin with. 40:30 You see in the Bible, God made six days as common work days. 40:33 The days that we ought to do our works 40:35 and only the seventh is the holy day. 40:38 Now, friends, it's impossible for man 40:40 to make anything holy because we're unholy. 40:42 And so now we go to Acts 20 and answer the question. 40:45 What about when the disciples worship 40:46 on the first day of the week. 40:48 Is this a biblical precedent 40:49 that we ought to keep Sunday as the Sabbath? 40:51 Let's find out exactly what was taking place. 40:54 Notice with me in Acts 20:7-9. 40:57 Please, write it down. 40:58 Notice with me on the screen. 41:00 The Bible says, "And upon the first day of the week, 41:02 when the disciples came together to break bread, 41:05 Paul preached unto them, 41:07 ready to depart, when, on the morrow, 41:10 and continued his speech until, when, midnight. 41:14 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, 41:16 where they were gathered together." 41:19 Here we find the Apostle Paul preaching. 41:21 It's the first day of the week. 41:22 The disciples are breaking bread 41:23 and people read this surfacely, 41:26 and they think that this is a Biblical precedent 41:28 that we ought to keep the first day of the week as the Sabbath. 41:30 Well, friends there's nothing in this passage 41:31 that says that the Sabbath was changed because of this. 41:35 The Sabbath is even in this passage 41:37 and nothing is mentioned 41:39 that the first day was anything special in this context. 41:43 You see, friends. 41:44 We need to have a clear Biblical command 41:47 if we want to change something that God 41:50 wrote with His own finger on Tablets of Stone. 41:52 Can you say amen? 41:54 Now the fact that they broke bread 41:55 on the first day of the week 41:56 doesn't make it a Sabbath because in Acts 2:46, 42:00 Bible says that they broke bread every single day. 42:02 But nonetheless we find that this is a worship service 42:05 and it is happening on the first day of the week. 42:07 Paul preached and he speaks until midnight. 42:11 Then notice what happens. 42:13 It says, "And there sat in a window 42:16 a certain young man named Eutychus, 42:18 and being fallen into a deep sleep, 42:20 as Paul was long preaching, 42:24 he sunk down with sleep, 42:25 and fell down from the third loft, 42:28 and was taken up dead." 42:29 And so here we find 42:30 the Apostle is preaching on the first day of the week. 42:33 Which number? 42:35 And what time of the first day of the week? 42:36 The daytime or the dark time? 42:38 The dark time. 42:39 He continued to preach till midnight. 42:42 So here we find that this is happening 42:44 on the dark part of the first day of the week. 42:48 And, friends, question. When is that? 42:52 When do-- When do the days begin 42:55 and end according to the Bible? 42:57 You see, we reckon the beginning and ending of days from when? 43:00 Midnight to midnight. Is that right? 43:01 In our society, midnight to midnight. 43:02 That's the beginning and ending of days. 43:04 But, friends, back in these times 43:05 they didn't have watches to know when midnight was. 43:07 They began and end the days 43:09 based upon the position of the sun. 43:12 So when do days begin and end in the Bible. 43:14 I want you to notice. 43:15 Write these scriptures down. 43:16 Leviticus 23:32 tells us 43:19 from even to even shall you celebrate the Sabbath. 43:24 From when? 43:26 Even or evening to evening. 43:29 Friends, when do the days begin and end? 43:31 From evening to evening. 43:33 And, friends, when exactly is evening? 43:35 Mark 1:32 tells us, 43:38 "At even, when the sun did set." 43:43 So, friends, when do the days begin and end? 43:46 Sunset to sunset. 43:47 Remember, in the first week of creation, 43:49 God created the days and He said, 43:50 and the evening and the morning was the first day. 43:53 The evening and the morning, second day. 43:55 Evening and morning, third. 43:56 So when does the day begin? 43:57 In the evening or morning? 43:58 Evening. 43:59 And when is the evening? 44:00 When the sun sets. 44:02 And so in Acts 20, it is the first day of the week, 44:06 but it's the dark part of the first day of the week. 44:10 Friends, what would we call 44:12 the dark part of the first day of the week? 44:14 What would-- When the Sunday really begin? 44:17 It begins on what we would call Saturday night, right? 44:22 When it gets dark on Saturday, 44:24 that's the beginning of the first day of the week. 44:27 And so what was happening in Acts 20, 44:30 the disciples and God's people worshiping God 44:32 all Sabbath long that day. 44:34 And then when the Sabbath was ending 44:37 on what we would call Saturday night, 44:39 they continued to worship, 44:40 they continued to gather together. 44:43 And the reason why is because the Apostle Paul 44:45 was going to leave the next morning 44:47 never to see them again. 44:49 And so he preached and he spoke with them all night along, 44:52 but then you notice the next morning, 44:53 Sunday morning Paul did not stay there to have worship, 44:56 he simply travelled to another place. 44:57 Why? 44:58 Because that day was not sanctified. 45:00 It was not holy. It was not sacred. 45:02 It was a common day 45:04 for common travel and common work. 45:07 Are you with me, yes or no? 45:10 And so, if the first day of the week begins 45:13 on what we would call Saturday evening, 45:16 then when does the Sabbath begin? 45:19 The evening before on what we would call Friday evening. 45:24 Friends, when is the Sabbath? 45:25 From Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. 45:29 Friends, do you realize what time it is. 45:33 We call this Friday, 45:35 but it's the dark part of Friday now. 45:38 Friends, do you realize when the sunset today? 45:41 We have actually entered into the sacred holy hours 45:46 of the seven day Sabbath 45:47 where God has pronounced an extra special rich blessing. 45:51 And, friends, if you are hearing this for the first time, 45:53 I want to be the very first one 45:54 to wish you a very happy Sabbath. 45:59 You know why? 46:00 Because Sabbath is a happy day, friends. 46:03 This is the day that the Lord has made. 46:06 Let us be glad and rejoice it. 46:07 Why? 46:08 Because it reminds us that God is our Creator, 46:10 that He is our redeemer 46:12 and that we're saved only by resting in His completed work. 46:16 Oh, friends, it's a day of happy rejoicing, 46:19 not just a day to go to church, 46:20 but 24 hours of sacred time with sweet Jesus. 46:24 And, friends, it's a blessing that you can claim even tonight. 46:28 Can you say amen? Amen. 46:29 Now, friends, not only the disciples 46:30 after the resurrection keep the Sabbath in the New Testament, 46:33 but God is going to have end time disciples 46:35 who would do the exact same thing. 46:37 Notice in Revelation 14:12, 46:39 it says, "Here is the patience of the saints, 46:42 here are they that keep the commandments of God, 46:45 and the faith of Jesus." 46:47 God's end time people in the last days, 46:49 they are not only going to have faith in Jesus, 46:51 but they are going to keep the commandments of God. 46:54 They have a faith that works 46:55 because they love the Lord Jesus. 46:57 And when it says that they keep the commandments of God, 46:59 that's how many commandments? 47:01 Not just nine, but all ten. 47:04 They are going to experience the rest of Jesus Christ. 47:07 And by the way, friends, 47:08 you realize that we're also going to be keeping 47:09 the Sabbath in heaven. 47:10 It's Revelation's eternal sign of love. 47:13 Notice in Isaiah 66:22, 23, 47:15 it says, "For as the new heavens and the new earth, 47:17 which I will make from one Sabbath to another, 47:21 shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord." 47:25 Friends, every single Sabbath in heaven, 47:27 we're going to meet at the throne of God, 47:29 we're going to be keeping it in heaven. 47:31 And, friends, I want to keep it in heaven. 47:32 How about you? 47:33 But before we keep it in heaven, 47:34 let's start keeping it down here 47:36 because we love the Lord Jesus Christ. 47:39 Yes, friends, it's Revelation's special sign of love given, 47:44 not just to the Jew, but for the entire human race. 47:48 But after going through all of these scriptures, 47:49 some people still ask me, 47:51 well, what difference does a day make? 47:53 I mean, come on, is God really that particular? 47:56 Can't I just choose one day out of seven? 47:58 Wouldn't God understand if I have to work on the Sabbath, 48:01 if I just take another day to rest? 48:04 Well, friends, just let me answer 48:05 that question with a question. 48:06 Can we ever trust our own reasoning? 48:09 Friends, the Bible tells us 48:11 that there is a way which seems right to a man, 48:16 but its end is the way of death. 48:18 It may seem right to us. 48:20 They just to pick one out of seven. 48:21 It may seem right to us to do what everyone else is doing 48:25 but, friends, if it's not found in the Bible, 48:28 what seems right to us leads to death 48:30 because the wages of sin is death 48:34 and sin is the breaking of the law. 48:37 Outwardly, there really is no difference in the days. 48:39 You know why? 48:41 Because it rains on the seventh day of the week 48:42 just like, it rains on the first day of the week. 48:44 It rains on every day of the week. 48:46 Outwardly, there seems to be no difference in the days. 48:49 But, friends, is there a difference, 48:52 and what is the difference? 48:54 The word of God. Amen. 48:57 What was the difference 48:58 in the trees in the Garden of Eden, the forbidden tree? 49:00 I don't think it was poisonous, friends. 49:02 The only thing that made a difference 49:03 is God's words said, "Do not eat of this fruit." 49:07 In the same way, when it comes to the Sabbath, 49:08 the only difference that is made 49:11 is the fact that God's word says it. 49:14 And so we find that the test is not just in the outward sign, 49:17 but in submission to the word 49:19 and the authority of God, our Creator 49:20 and that's why the Sabbath 49:22 is a sign that we believe that Jesus is our Lord. 49:26 He is the ruler of our lives 49:28 and He is the Savior of the world. 49:31 You see, friends, if God say keep Tuesday, 49:33 I'm going to keep Tuesday, it doesn't mater to me. 49:35 It's not about my convenience or my schedule, 49:38 it's about His holy word. 49:40 And the Bible tells us that we need to be consistent. 49:42 Jesus said that we ought to live by every word 49:46 that proceeds out of the mouth of God, 49:49 but some people cry. 49:51 But all we have to do is worship God in spirit and truth. 49:54 It does not matter where and when. 49:56 Just worship God in spirit and in truth. 49:58 And I agree that true worshippers 50:00 will worship God in spirit and in truth. 50:02 But, friends, what is truth? 50:05 The Bible tells us in Psalms 119:151, 50:08 "Thou art near, O Lord, 50:09 and all thy commandments are truth." 50:14 And so, friends, it's impossible 50:16 to really worship God in spirit and in truth, 50:19 if we're not worshiping in harmony 50:21 with all God's commandments. 50:24 And, friends, if that is clear, if that makes sense, 50:25 if that's logical, would you say amen? 50:28 And, friends, you shouldn't believe it 50:30 just because a man says it. 50:31 Go home and check for yourself. 50:33 And here's the challenge, here's the reward, 50:36 if you can find one verse. 50:38 How many verses? 50:40 Just one verse from Genesis to Revelation, 50:42 that says anything about Sunday being the Sabbath 50:45 or that the Sabbath was changed in the honor of the resurrection 50:48 or that we don't have to no longer keep the Sabbath 50:50 or that the Sabbath is just for Jews 50:51 and Sunday is for gentiles. 50:52 If you can find just one verse 50:55 that tells us we ought to keep Sunday as a day of worship, 50:57 as a day to be kept holy, just how many verses? 51:00 One verse, I'm going to give you a reward. 51:04 You see, right now we are living in difficult economy times. 51:06 Isn't that right? 51:07 How many of you could use an extra $10,000? 51:11 Could you use that? 51:13 If you can use that, would you please say amen? 51:16 Oh, some of you didn't say amen, wow. 51:20 Now, friends, I know and you know 51:22 that it won't hurt to have an extra $10,000, right? 51:25 And so here's the reward. 51:26 If you can find one verse that says anything 51:28 about Sunday being the Sabbath 51:29 and what I just mentioned just one verse, 51:31 and not a whole list of verses, just one, 51:33 more wealthy. 51:37 Because I have been looking for this verse for many years. 51:41 I have been searching and searching. 51:42 I've been asking on, a congregation and everyone, 51:45 and no one has ever found the verse, just one. 51:48 You know why? 51:49 Because it doesn't exist, friends. 51:51 And if you don't believe me, check for yourself. 51:55 That's the only reason why I say that. 51:56 Friends, do you think I have $10,000 51:58 to given to people all the time? 52:00 The reason why I said that 52:01 is so that you can know that we have nothing to hide. 52:04 The Bible, friends, is abundantly clear, 52:07 but you must check for yourself. 52:10 How many of you are going to do that tonight? 52:11 Check for yourself, friends. 52:13 You will not find a single verse 52:16 and that ought to say something clearly to you tonight. 52:18 Now, friends, if it is true 52:20 that Saturday is a true Biblical Sabbath, 52:22 then why do most people keep Sunday? 52:24 And here's the reason. 52:25 And this, brothers and sisters, 52:26 is how this topic ties in and connects with Bible prophecy 52:31 because the Bible tells us in Daniel 7:25 52:35 about the antichrist kingdom 52:37 that would think to change times and laws. 52:43 Friends, what is the only law in the Ten Commandments 52:44 that has to do with time? 52:46 The fourth commandment. 52:47 And why is it that most people keep Sunday as the Sabbath? 52:50 Because the antichrist kingdom 52:52 has come into the temple of God, the Christian Church. 52:55 Bringing false and confusing counterfeits. 52:59 This was the kingdom that changed the Sabbath 53:01 from Saturday the seventh day of the week 53:04 to Sunday the first day of the week 53:05 and many people have never heard this before 53:07 and many people are sincere, but they are sincerely mistaken 53:14 because of the antichrist power. 53:16 Now, friends, how many of you want to know who this is? 53:19 Do you want to know who this is? 53:21 Do you want to know who changed the Sabbath? 53:23 Who the antichrist is? 53:24 If you want to know, let me hear you say amen. 53:26 Are you sure, you want to know? 53:29 If so, say amen again. Amen. 53:32 Well, friends, if you really want to know, 53:35 you are going to have to come tomorrow night. 53:40 Because, friends, I don't want to give you my opinion. 53:44 You can throw my opinion in the garbage. 53:46 It does not matter what I say, what a man teaches, 53:49 what a church's doctrine is, what theologian say. 53:52 All that matters is what does the Bible say. 53:56 And tomorrow night, we're going to look at the 10 fingerprints 53:58 of who the antichrist is and the greatest deception 54:01 in changing God's times and laws. 54:03 Oh, friends, are you going to be here tomorrow night? 54:04 Oh, please, don't miss it, friends. 54:06 This is going to be powerful. 54:07 You see, tonight we have discovered what the sign is. 54:12 Tomorrow night we will see 54:13 why it's so important in light of Bible prophecy. 54:18 But, friends, as we beginning to close 54:20 though the Sabbath has largely been forgotten, 54:22 many people are studying the Bible 54:23 like, they'd never studied it before, 54:25 and they are discovering 54:26 and rediscovering this long forgotten truth, 54:28 the blessing of the Sabbath. 54:30 And love for Jesus is compelling many Christians 54:33 to go to their employers 54:35 to say to them I can no longer work 54:37 from Friday evening, to Saturday evening, 54:39 that's not your time, 54:40 that's not my time, it's the Lord's time. 54:43 A time of special sacredness and holiness. 54:46 Love for Jesus is compelling individuals 54:49 to follow Him in all things. 54:51 You see, friends, it's not a day to catch the movie 54:54 or to rush our car to do the airings. 54:56 It's 24 hours of sweet time with Jesus. 54:59 And, friends, think about that. 55:00 It's amazing to think that our God is not too big 55:04 and not too busy to spend quality special time with us. 55:08 Friends, who are you and who am I 55:11 that the God of heaven wants to spend this quality time with us. 55:14 Isn't it amazing, friends? It's a blessing. 55:17 Now as we close tonight, 55:18 remember the one that saved us 55:24 and the one that made us doesn't want us to forget Him. 55:28 Amen. 55:29 How many of you love the Lord Jesus tonight? 55:31 If you love Him, would you please say amen? 55:34 Well, Jesus says, 55:35 "If you love me, keep my commandments." 55:40 Friends, is the Bible saying 55:43 that those who keeps Sunday as the Sabbath are bad people? 55:46 Absolutely not. 55:48 Many people who are keeping Sunday 55:49 are sincere, wonderful people. 55:50 They lived up to all the life. 55:52 They know they never heard this before. 55:54 And God never holds us accountable 55:55 to things that we don't know. 55:57 He only holds us accountable when the light has come, 56:00 when the truth has come, then He asks us to walk in 56:03 and some of you might be tempted to think, 56:05 man, I wish I didn't come tonight. 56:08 But, friends, let me tell you. 56:09 Now that we know it's a privilege to know 56:12 because Jesus said when we know the truth, the truth will-- 56:15 You see, friends, 56:16 maybe you've been keeping Sunday all your life 56:19 like, I used to keep Sunday as a Sabbath. 56:21 You were never aware that it wasn't in the Bible 56:23 and yet you love God and you walked in with Him in sincerity. 56:26 Tonight He is just asking you 56:28 to take the next step in the journey, friends, 56:31 to draw even closer to Him. 56:34 He is seeking to lead us, 56:35 not just into some truth, but into all truth. 56:38 And I remember when I first heard this 56:40 it was a bit surprising 56:41 because, friends, listen, truth sounds strange 56:44 in a world of universal deceit. 56:46 Did you guess that? 56:47 Truth, when you first hear, it sounds strange 56:49 especially when there's so many lies out there. 56:51 I went to church on Sunday, 56:52 but then when I saw it from the Bible, 56:54 God showed me a better way, a more biblical way, 56:57 a way that I can honor Him more 56:59 and though keeping the Sabbath 57:00 requires some adjusting in my life 57:02 and adjusting in my schedule. 57:05 I made the decision years ago and I've never regretted it. 57:08 The Sabbath is the most happiest, 57:10 most joy filled day of the entire week. 57:13 It's entire day to reconnect with my maker. 57:17 And, friends, don't allow the devil 57:18 to rob you of this extra special blessing. 57:22 Thousands of others have learned this, 57:23 have made the same decision 57:25 and they have never regretted it. 57:26 And so as we close tonight, 57:27 I'm not going to ask you to accept the Sabbath 57:29 because maybe you need some time to study and digest. 57:34 That's perfectly fine, friends. 57:35 I'm not going to ask you tonight to accept it. 57:37 Maybe you need to pray on it and study for yourself, 57:40 but I believe that God would have us tonight make a decision 57:43 to allow Him to lead us in all things. 57:48 Amen. 57:49 And if truth calls for change in our lives, 57:54 let's allow the Lord Jesus 57:56 to bring about that glorious change. 57:58 Amen. 57:59 How many of you want the rest that Jesus offers? 58:03 And how many of you want the Lord of the Sabbath 58:06 to be the Lord of your life? |
Revised 2014-12-17