It's wonderful to be with each and every one of you today.
We're so glad that you're here. We have some visitors that are
among us, and we would hope that you would feel as you are.
And that is our honored guest. And we just simply say, welcome.
As always is the case, I do consider it to be an honor to
speak concerning the word of God.
And I hope and pray. That what we have to consider
for just a few minutes, this morning will be both edifying
and encouraging to you in some way.
You know, last Lord's day, I touched on a subject that I
said, is a subject that oftentimes comes up in Bible
discussions and that is the subject of Miracles and the sub
and the subject of speaking in tongues and we exhausted that
subject last Lord's day. But there's another one that
comes up a lot. And in Bible discussions that I
have with people, this comes up an awful lot and that is what
about the Sabbath? Are we under any kind of Sabbath
law today, does it apply to Today.
So I wanted to talk about the very idea that I have on the
screen. I want to talk about Jesus and
his relationship to the Sabbath. What did Jesus do on the
Sabbath? What did Jesus do about the
Sabbath? First of all our text though
will come from the book of Exodus chapter 20 and we want to
begin reading there in verse 11. Remember the Sabbath day and
keep it holy six days, you shall labor and do all your work.
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God,
and in it, you will, you shall do no work, you nor your son,
your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female
servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger, who is within
your gates. For in six days, the Lord made
the heavens and the Earth, the Red Sea, and all that is in them
and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the
Sabbath. Sabbath day and he hallowed it.
As we noticed this subject, though, we want to notice it in
the following way. Number one are Christians
obligated to keep the Sabbath today, and I'm talking about the
Sabbath of Old Testament. Judaism question, number two are
Christians obligated to turn Sunday into some kind of Sabbath
with similar restrictions. And thirdly.
And finally, Are Christians to reject all Sabbath law and enjoy
freedom from Sabbath law as to prescribing any specific
restrictions. Well, first of all, when we do
this, we want to consider three things.
The first thing we want to consider is the seventh day of
rest that God took after Creation in Genesis chapter 2.
Then we want to notice this. We want to notice The
Seventh-Day Sabbath under Mosaic law in Exodus chapter 20.
And finally we want to notice what role that Jesus played in
the transition of the old Covenant law to the New
Covenant. So as we begin we begin in
Genesis chapter 2. Now in This is chapter 2 the
Bible is going to say that God rested but let me just say this
in six days God created everything and as we go back to
chapter 1, it says in the beginning, God created the
heavens and the Earth. And in all things that God
created he created, please get this everything in six days.
Including man. In Genesis chapter 1 and verse
26. The Bible says let us make man
in our image, after our likeness.
And the Bible says, male and female, he created he them.
So what happens in Genesis chapter 2 when it talks about?
God, formed, Man, Out of the Dust of the ground.
Don't be confused with that. All that means is that's a
detailed description of what he already did.
That's all. Means.
So in general. He's the creation is given in
chapter 1. Chapter 2 is given the detailed
aspect that he did, so that's all that means, okay.
On the seventh day though. In Genesis chapter 2, the Bible
says that God rested. Now let me ask you this, let me
ask you this, what kind of a rest did God have that he arrest
because he was tired. No man gets tired.
In fact, Jesus, when he came down to this low ground of sin
sickness and sorrow did so In the Flesh.
So you know what? Jesus got tired.
Jesus knows our infirmities. Jesus knows the frailties In the
Flesh. In fact, Jesus was tempted in
all points, like, as we are yet without sin, so Jesus got tired
when he was living on this Earth but not God.
What kind of rested God take then?
And this also proves that everything that was done in
Genesis chapter one was everything because at the very
beginning of chapter 2, it said on the seventh day, he rested.
What kind of arrest was it? It was a rest of number one
delight and satisfaction. That's number one.
God looked at all that he created.
Remember what he said, he said it is very good.
So God said this. God looked upon everything that
he created. So his rest was arrest of
delight and satisfaction, what else?
It was a rest because he was finished.
In fact, that word actually means one of the definitions of
that word in the original literally means we, he has
ceased from working Now, why would he rested on the seventh
day ceased from working and then kick it up again in the next
chapter wouldn't make any sense at all everything that God
created was created in six days and on the seventh day God
rested. Okay, we get that.
What about man? What about Adam and Eve?
What about man did man? Rest on that day.
Did God give that day as a human involvement in the garden?
No. In fact, man was living in a
Perpetual state of rest, man was living a life of rest.
He was put down in a blissful Paradise in the Garden of Eden.
His life was a life of rest. Do you know why?
Because there was no work, why was there?
No work because there was no sin. and if there was no work,
there's no Sabbath Okay, maybe you're saying thinking this, oh,
wait a minute, I read somewhere where it says that man had to
tend the garden. That's true.
There's a difference though between taking care or
maintaining something and having to earn your living or your
bread. By the sweat of your face.
Big difference When sin came into the world and man was cast
from the garden, everything changed.
But in the garden before man, sinned.
There was no work because there There was no sin and if there's
no work, there's no Sabbath rest.
So the only one that rested in Genesis chapter 2 was God.
There is no human involvement in Genesis chapter 2.
Now why do I make that such a big point?
I'll tell you why. He give you a word sabbatarian
ism. Is a word that is often used
today with any type of religious affiliation that accepts or
recognizes Sabbath the Sabbath and meaning Saturday, as a
religious or set apart day, they're called sabbatarians, for
example. And there are a number of
religious affiliations that are sabbatarians.
And the reason that I make this entire point is when you talk to
a sabbatarian often times, they will say this.
They will say, we have to keep the Sabbath because the Sabbath
has always existed even back to Genesis chapter 2.
And I've proven the point, I think know, the only one that
rested in Genesis chapter 2 was God.
Man did not rest because there was no work man.
Did not rest because there was no sin and if no work and no
sin, then no Sabbath. Okay?
But there was a day though, there was a time in Exodus
chapter 20, when God Would hallo the day or the Sabbath day.
It's just back up in history, man.
Sinned, he was cast from the garden and by the way I got to
tell you a little side note here, not only not only is
nothing said about man resting in Genesis 2.
But there's not a day of rest described in all 50 chapters of
the Book of Genesis. Not one thing.
Exodus chapter 20 is different though.
Because here comes a man, man. Now has sinned, man now is cast
from the garden and all of that man is in Egyptian bondage for
over 400 years. God sent Moses to deliver to
deliver his people, right? God, is going to specify or
bring together a system of Sabbath's now.
Under the Old Law of Moses, and by the way, they were weekly,
they were monthly And they were yearly.
They were a system of holy days or a system of Sabbath days.
This is different from obviously from creation because at
creation there was no sin but under the Old Law of Moses when
the Sabbath was given, it was an opportunity for man to recognize
his sin. The law was brought in so man,
could recognize his sins. Stay with me on that.
What did God do? Do God gave to General
Commandments and they were these, you shall love the Lord,
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength.
That's number one, General command.
Number two, general command. And you are to love your
neighbor as yourself. Okay.
To General commands and watch this because then God gave a
tenfold, explanation of those commands And that's called The
Ten Commandments. But there's more.
He also gave a manifold explanation of those commands in
the pentateuch, or simply the first five books of the Bible,
the books of the law. Genesis Exodus, Leviticus
Numbers and Deuteronomy. And when I say manifold, I mean
it's me. Many and various.
Okay, system of Savas comes in and Exodus chapter 22, General
commands, love God, and love your neighbor, a tenfold
explanation, The Ten Commandments a manifold
explanation, many and various things given in the law in the
first five books of the Bible. But There's something specific.
And it's the fourth Commandment. And that was to keep the
Sabbath. They were to keep the Sabbath
and you remember when I said it was the time for man to
understand and reflect on that day, it was a day by the way, to
do several things. Number one, it was a day from
man to recognize creation. Number two, it was a way for man
to recognize that sin damaged or marred that creation.
Number three. It was a day for man to
recognize his creator and that's God and fourthly.
It was a time for man to recognize that God was the
lawgiver, all of that. On the Sabbath.
Now what I'm saying is it was a day of conviction, it was a day
of gratitude and it was a day of penitence.
Now what about the nature between the new and the old this
is very important. Okay, there was a time when God
hallowed that day and that was very important but that was
under the old. And we want to notice the
relationship between the old and the new.
And here it is the old versus Has the new, what we find is
this, we find that there are something that is very
significant that the old was nothing, but a shadow of
something else. And so notice this, let's just
back up. God said in the day the day was
given, in Exodus chapter 20, but there would be a time when the
old would be done away with and the new would take its place and
the new was superior to the old in Way.
Let's talk about Jesus, let's talk about what Jesus did.
Let's talk about Jesus marking the transition between the old
and the new. Let's talk about some examples
of that. In Matthew chapter 12, I love
this. And first of all, remember this
to folks remember The two things that the Jews hated about Jesus
number one, because he said I am the son of God.
And number two, because of how he handled the Sabbath.
So, we asked ourselves the question.
What did Jesus do about the Sabbath?
I'll tell you what he did about the 7th and this is not an
off-the-cuff flippant, remark? This is the conclusion that I
come to based upon my study of the subject.
What did Jesus do about the Sabbath?
Jesus, did anything, he wanted to do on the Sabbath?
Okay, keep that in the back of your mind.
We're going to find out why. But what about this?
What about Matthew chapter 12? You remember that narrative?
Jesus on the Sabbath and I believe that to be totally on
purpose. Jesus on the Sabbath is walking
through the grain Fields with his disciples, right?
It's on the Sabbath day and all of a sudden, the disciples got
hungry so they pluck the heads of the grain, right?
And they ate that remember what the Pharisees said, the
Pharisees said, wait a minute. They're doing wrong.
They don't keep the Sabbath why you can only you couldn't travel
on a journey, only a Sabbath Day's Journey.
They were doing that through the field.
Number two, they couldn't prepare the food or harvest
anything on the Sabbath. All of that had to be done the
day before on the day of preparation.
So the Pharisees are looking to Jesus and looking to the
disciples and they're saying they did not keep the Sabbath.
They've done terrible wrong. You know what Jesus said, I love
This he said this in verses 3 and 4, but he said to them, have
you not read what David did when he was hungry?
He and those who were with him how he entered the house of God,
and ate the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor
for those who were with him. But only for the priests.
In other words, they're they're complaining about the disciples
and Jesus haven't yet. Heard that David.
And then he says this. Or have you not read in the law
that on the Sabbath? The priests in the temple.
Profane the Sabbath and are blameless.
Do you know why they were working in the temple on the
Sabbath? So Jesus is saying this, if you
want to get down to the nitty-gritty, if you really want
to get down to that, haven't you heard that the priest himself
also profane the Sabbath, but they're blameless and there's
going to be a reason why? There's going to be a reason
why, but in verse 8, Jesus did anything that he wanted to do Y
for the son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath now.
I like this right here. I like Mark's account.
Because Mark chapter 2, says this.
Mark chapter 2, says the Sabbath was made for man and not man for
the Sabbath. Therefore, the son of man is
also Lord of the seventh. Okay.
Are you getting the picture? Now, one of the problems that
they had, one of the problems that they had, is understanding
the reference point between themselves and God and what they
didn't recognize is Jesus was going to be the transition from
the old to the new They thought that the transition they thought
that the reference point between them self in, God was the
Sabbath under the Old Law, what they fail to recognize is, and
Jesus was transitioning. This idea they failed to
recognize it was Jesus. That was the reference point or
would be the reference point between them and God.
Jesus says, no man comes unto the father except by or through
me so we're going to get down to this chart.
A little A bit more later. But notice this Jesus did
whatever he wanted to. Because he was the transition
from the old to the new. The old was a shadow of
something that was coming. That was greater.
And the new was the substance or the reality, and the new is
greater than the old. The newest greater than the old.
Jesus did whatever he wanted to on the Sabbath.
Let's go back to our passages. What about this?
I preached on this all over the country, this passage Not going
to go into it in great detail. But I'm going to say this really
quickly at the pool of Bethesda. The man was crippled man needed
to be healed, right? Angel goes down and stirs the
water once a day when the water is stirred.
The first one down to the water, gets the miracle gets healed.
Jesus on the Sabbath on purpose. Walks up to this man on the
Sabbath on purpose and says don't you want to be healed and
the man said, I don't have anybody to take Me down there
and I try to get down there. But by the time that I do,
somebody beats me to it and they get healed.
And I do not Jesus could have done anything that he wanted to
do. He could have said anything he
wanted to say. Jesus told the man take up your
bed and walk. Why did he say that?
God commanded, there were specific restrictions to a
person living under the law of Moses on the Sabbath.
They were to do. No servile work.
They were to have other specific restrictions but Peyton based
upon the codification of rabbinic tradition rabbinic
tradition. Counted at least 39 more things
that were forbidden on the Sabbath.
God didn't say that man said that rabbinic tradition said
that do you know what one of them was It was carrying your
bed on the Sabbath. Jesus took a shot at their
rabbinic tradition. He healed The Man by saying,
take up your bed and walk. You know, why he was greater
than the Sabbath. He was Lord of the Sabbath and
he was the transition from the old to the new.
What about this? What about Galatians chapter 4?
Again, the transition?
Okay, the transition? And when you look at, this
passage notice this please. The transition from the old to
the new. Now, notice Jesus died on the
cross. Okay, this is after he was
living, he died on the cross, he shed his blood for the sins of
the world. He was buried on the third day.
He rose again. He spends 40 days with his
disciples, he sends the Holy Spirit after he ascended into
heaven. In Acts chapter 1, the Holy
Spirit was there on Pentecost day, guess what gospel is
preached. Churches, established.
Transition complete. Complete.
So what he started by way of the transition as he was living
under the Old Law, as he would be the reference point, it was
completed in his death. Burial.
Resurrection, the sending of the Holy Spirit and the
establishment of the church But Galatians chapter 4.
First of all, I have to say that.
If you look at Romans 14, somebody might say what about
Romans 14? Okay?
I don't have time to go into Liberties very deeply here,
okay? But Liberties are things that we
are given the freedom to decide whether we're going to
participate in or whether we're not When the church was
established, you remember that all of those thousands of people
that were converted. At the beginning they were all
of Jewish descent. They all had Jewish blood
running through their veins or they might have even been those
that were proselytes or converted to Judaism.
Do you know what those under the law of Moses under Judaism, you
know what they have? Always done observed the
Sabbath. So Paul was dealing with this.
Words Jesus nailed it to his cross and did away with it.
But if a person had a conscience against letting the Sabbath go
by the wayside Paul said, leave him alone.
Let him do it, it doesn't matter.
Okay, until you try to bind it on Christians.
Now, that matters. But if a person was keeping the
New Testament law and living as a Christian as the Bible says
but they also kept the Sabbath. So what?
It's a liberty, it doesn't
matter but Galatians chapter 4 is totally different Galatians.
Chapter 4 is a bunch of people that were trying to bind the
aspects of the Old Law on Gentile converts.
So that's why he dresses that in Galatians chapter 4, notice.
This but now after you have known God or rather are known of
God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly
elements? To which you desire again to be
in bondage, You observe days and months and seasons and years.
I'm afraid of you lest I have I'm afraid for you.
Lest I have labored for you in vain, you know, it's
interesting. We can beggarly means worthless.
It means worthless. Those days that no longer
exists, those days that were under the shadow, not the
substance. Those days that were under the
law of Moses, what they are now is they're worthless.
They don't matter because there's something greater,
there's something, greater that exist weak and beggarly elements
mean worthless. Now, Colossians chapter 2.
Please get this. This drives the point home
Beginning in verse 14. Having wiped out the handwriting
of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the
Cross, having disarmed, principalities and Powers.
He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in
it. So let no one judge you in food,
or in drink regarding a festival or of a new moon, or a Sabbath.
Which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of
Christ. How can you not?
Look at that and say what it means?
It means we're not under the Sabbath anymore.
It means from a religious perspective, we don't keep the
Sabbath anymore or any other aspect of the Old Law.
In fact, these things are under the old law where a shadow or a
picture of something else but the substance to reality is
Christ. Notice this police notice this
again because the Sabbath was a shadow.
Now remember this go back to Genesis chapter, Chapter two,
okay. God created everything in Six
Days on the seventh day he rested.
Okay. So what did he do?
He laboured And he rested. Under the Old Law of Moses were
they do six days, they laboured seventh day, they rested.
But all of these were a shadow or a picture of something that's
greater. What am I talking about?
I'm talking about the Sabbath was a shadow of future rest.
I'm going to tell you if this doesn't encourage you, when we
get through this last point, I don't know what will if this
doesn't encourage you as a child of God, to stay in there and
keep on fighting and keep on living the Christian Life, to
get to the end, I just don't know what else to say.
The Sabbath was a shadow of future rest in Matthew chapter
11, look at this and verse 28. Come to me, all you that labor
and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
In Hebrews chapter 4, beginning in verse 9. there remains
therefore a rest for the people of God for, he who has entered
his rest has himself also ceased from his works, as God, did from
his First Corinthians 15:58. Therefore my beloved Brethren be
steadfast immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
I don't know why people have a hard time in the world.
I don't understand this. Why?
They have a hard time with the concept of a Christian needing
to work? Everybody understands that
concept. You have a job you get hired by
an employer, you got to work. You're young and you go to
school. What you got to do?
You got to work? If you're involved in an
extracurricular activity, like a sport, you have to work and
everybody understands that concept.
But what people do is in the world, they want to be when it
comes to religion, that's free. No work.
It's never been that way. God worked in genesis created
everything. Then he rested man worked in
Exodus and the seventh day he rested and you know what those
things were, a shadow of something else.
All those things that we noticed were a shadow of something else.
Notice. Jesus says, I will give you rest
Hebrews 4 there. Remains a rest for the people of
God first Corinthians 15:58. He said, be immovable and abound
in the work of the Lord. All right.
Here's this diagram again. Jesus was the transition.
From the old from the old to the new even while living.
The transition was complete when the church was established in,
Jesus had died before that. And all of that transition
complete And if the Sabbath was a shadow of something better.
And the shadow was found under the Old Law, which is this.
Sabbath rest. And if Sabbath, rest along with
everything else, under the old was a picture or a shadow of
something that would be greater and better.
That means that the new is heaven and Heaven, rest,
Heavenly rest is the reality. I got to ask you something,
please, why in the world would you want that?
The Shadow. When you can have heaven.
Why would you want to do that? Why would you want to resurrect
some aspect of the Old Law when all of that was just a picture
or shadow of something that's far greater?
Heaven is real. And the Bible says, therefore,
there is a rest for the people of God.
What do you got to do? First, you got to roll up your
sleeves and go to work. You got to be all you can be for
the cause of Christ. What does that mean?
That means whatever. It is in Your Capacity within
the role that you can have in serve.
You have to give all you can to the cause of Christ.
That's what that means. Got to give your life over to
the Lord got to put him first in your life.
But Heaven is real. Can you imagine being a
Christian going through hard times in life and not having any
hope at all? as I close James Kaufman one
time said he said when I was young when I thought of Heaven.
I thought of some Far Away place. with domes and Spires I
thought about a place where Angels would be there, but
they'd be tripping about. I thought about all of those
things and I thought about it being so far away.
But then he said but my baby brother died and then I started
thinking a little differently. I started thinking about heaven
as a place with a street of gold.
I started thinking about heaven as a place with pearls on Gates.
I thought about a place that wasn't quite so far away,
because I thought of that place of Domes and spires, but I
thought of it this way too. There's one tiny little face
that I knew that will be there and then he says, but the
reaper, the great Reaper continued his work.
And I lost my wife. And I lost my children.
And I lost my friends, one by one.
And as the lone leaf on a tree remains that was me all alone.
So then I think a heaven today I think a bit differently.
Oh, I think of a beautiful place, I think of a beautiful
place, but I see it. So personally, I think about it
as a place of the grandest reunions ever found I think
about a place where we'll be able to be in heaven together
and those separated from loved ones for a Time someday.
We'll be together. he said, simply put when I think of
Heaven now, I think of home. Me ask you something, where you
going? Are you working to get?
Home. Because I'm going to tell you,
there's nothing in this world that matters.
If we miss heaven. And there's nothing so great
that it will ever take the Precedence or the priority of
our labor to get to him. Sometimes it's difficult.
Sometimes it's hard. That's all right.
You stay in there. You stay in the fight.
So we can get home one day and have rest that's been promised
to the people of God. I'm finished this morning.
Thank you so much for your kind listening.
I hope something was said that was edifying and encouraging to
you. In some way, we are not under
the Sabbath at all. We don't keep the Sabbath at
all. That was a shadow, something
greater, and that is heaven, rest.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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