The Seventh Day Sabbath

Well, thank you again. Mr. Graham, happy Sabbath, everyone! I was looking the other day at some of the messages that I've given over the last five years, and I noticed that I haven't spoken about the Sabbath since 2011. I gave a three-part series, a pretty detailed series, on the Sabbath day and why it is so important to us. That was a lot of years ago. We're now into the early part of 2016.

And I was thinking that while the world has been celebrating artificially established days that have been created by human cultures, including some days in which they attempt to honor God in their own way, one of our most distinctive and deeply held teachings is our respect and honor of the seventh-day Sabbath, because it was not created by man, but it was ordained by God.

So here we are in the 21st century where technology and instant communication has blurred time and space. It actually makes the observance of the Sabbath more important than any other time in history. I tell people that early in my sales career, looking back on it now, I would travel out of town, and when five o'clock came, my day was done. There were no text messages, no smartphones, no emails, no internet.

When you were in Youngstown spending the night or Detroit or wherever, when five o'clock came, no one could get ahold of you except through a landline, and your day was basically done. Now look at the world we live in today, where we are bombarded by instant communication. So I think because of the world that we live in, it's so much more important to understand what God instructs us about a day that He created, about a day that He established, a day that honors Him.

So in contrast to our culture and what it's been doing the last few weeks, today I want to talk about the real way to honor Jesus Christ. Let's begin by going to Genesis chapter 1 and verse 31. Genesis chapter 1 and verse 31. As recorded originally by Moses, Genesis chapter 1 and verse 31, then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

So the evening and the morning were the sixth day, thus the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. Now verse 3. I'm sorry, yes, verse 3 here in chapter 2. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because He rested from all of His work, which God had created and made. So we see here that the seventh day was set apart by the Creator Himself, who is Jesus Christ, by the way, at the end of creation.

Contrary to the explanation of Psalm, and some critics say, well, the word Sabbath isn't used in this verse. And anyone who tells you that is absolutely wrong. There's a word in here, and the word is rested. Notice it says, He rested. The Hebrew verb for rested in this verse is Shabbat. In essence, it's saying that God Sabbath-ed on the seventh day. So the word Sabbath is absolutely used in here in the form of a verb. Here's what the very Bible note says about this verse. It says, He rested. He ceased and desisted from His work. No weariness is implied. The Hebrew word is Sabbath, the name of the day that was later given to Israel as a time of cessation from normal activity.

So though some critics looking for loopholes, looking for ways to avoid what God teaches us, make the claim and say that the word Sabbath isn't used. It absolutely is in the form of a verb. It was from this act and this example that the seventh day was later given the very title itself Sabbath.

Some say the verse does not specifically command man to observe it. And again, that's not logical. That doesn't make sense. The scripture clearly states that God blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it. Sanctified means that He set apart for a holy use, for special usage. God, by His example, set it apart for special usage. This is the first step in His beautiful creation. God made the first six days by working and He made the seventh day by resting. But God doesn't grow weary.

God doesn't get tired. He performed this act to set an example for someone to follow. He sanctified it for someone to follow it. Now, let's see. God and the angels are outside of time and space. So who do you think He would have meant when He sanctified the seventh day? Butterflies? I don't think so because they can't comprehend the days of the week. Obviously for humanity, for His creation. So again, He did this for the benefit of mankind.

The Creator established the Sabbath for all people. There's two people. A man and a woman. Adam and Eve. There's no Jew. There's no Gentile. There's just humanity. People. And from the DNA of those two individuals, every other person on this earth has generated from. So again, I want to emphasize the importance that this was a day that was created, ordained by God, for the benefit of His creation.

Now, as we go on and we look in the Scripture, some critics of the creation Sabbath say, ah, there's no evidence that any of the patriarchs observed the Sabbath. Well, the ancient account of history written in the book of Genesis is a brief, the briefest overview of man's earliest history. It is not a detailed diary or history of anyone. Many characters are introduced as adults. We have no idea what they did as children. Oftentimes, their wives' names aren't even mentioned. The great majority of people are mentioned by name only. We know nothing about their conduct. But let's see what the Scriptures do tell us about what they understood.

Genesis, chapter 7, verse 10. Turn with me there and we'll take a look at what was recorded during the time of the flood. Genesis, chapter 7, verse 10. Some people think you can prove something by omission. You can't prove something by omission. Genesis, chapter 7, verse 10. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth in the 600 year of Noah's life.

In the second month of the seventeenth day of the month on that day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened. The patriarchs obviously had a monthly calendar and a seven-day cycle. Now, doesn't it just common sense tell us that since God created the world and it were explained in Genesis 1 that there was a seven-day cycle created and we go fast forward all the way to the time of the flood, there's a seventh-day cycle that one of those days, like perhaps the seventh, would have continued to be considered a holy time?

Even though the Sabbath is not specifically mentioned, we do see the patriarchs observing this seventh-day cycle. Where and why would they have developed this seventh-day cycle by the time of Noah? Well, the answer is they inherited it, the knowledge from previous generations who inherited it originally from God himself. Let's take a look at verse 10.

And he waited yet another seven days and again he sent the dove out of the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening and behold a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth and no one knew that the waters had receded from the earth. Verse 12, so he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove which did not return again to him anymore. I want you to notice these weekly cycles that are once a week. Noah is doing these things until he can determine that it's safe to leave the ark and go back into the earth.

Nowhere does the book of Genesis specifically mention anyone observing the Sabbath after it was established to creation, but this in itself does not mean it was not observed by righteous men and women. For example, the scripture tells us that Enoch walked with God. Genesis chapter 5 and verse 24. However, the scripture doesn't say that Enoch ever prayed. It doesn't say he ever had faith. It doesn't say he only worshipped one God. It doesn't say he offered sacrifices. Yet we are told that he was a righteous man who obviously honored God in worshipful ways.

The fact is that something that is not specifically mentioned in the book of Genesis is not in itself proof that it never occurred. You just can't use that to prove something. You cannot establish proof of something simply by omission. Another example we won't turn there, but Genesis chapter 29 verse 27 after Uncle Laban snookered Jacob and married him to his oldest daughter, he said to him, he said, fulfill her weak and we'll give you this one also for this service which you will serve me for yes, till another seven years.

Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her weak. There again, long before the time of Moses, long before Israel comes out of Egypt, there is a seven-day cycle just like was announced at the creation in this period of time in history. So let's examine what Israel was told after they left Egypt and before the Ten Commandments were given. So that period of time after they left Egypt and before they received God's law from Mount Sinai. Exodus chapter 16 and verse 23 if you'll turn there with me.

Chapter 16 and verse 23. Then he said to them, this is what the Lord has said, tomorrow is a Sabbath rest. It's teaching them something that was lost, a knowledge that was lost in the land of Egypt where they were slaves.

Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today and boil what you will boil and lay up for yourselves all that remains to be kept until morning. Speaking of manna. So they laid it up until morning as Moses commanded and it did not stink nor were there any worms in it. Which you say is pretty positive thing when you're about to eat. Verse 25 then Moses said, eat that today for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it but on the seventh day which is a Sabbath there will be none. How it happened that some of the people went on on the Sabbath day to gather, seventh day to gather and they found none and the Lord said to Moses how long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for the Lord has given you the Sabbath. It's a gift. It's a gift of liberation, of freedom from toil, not a burden. See the Lord has given you the Sabbath therefore he gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place let no man go out of his place on the seventh day so the people rested on the seventh day. This is a great example of how people were encouraged even to use the sixth day we call it Friday today in our western world as a preparation day for the Sabbath food was prepared in advance so that it did not consume hours of preparing and cooking a meal on the Sabbath. We have to realize the difference between their world and ours. They had limited means of preservation. Most of the things that they cooked had to be fresh. They didn't have microwaves. They didn't hit a button on a stove and something glows and gets hot or burners come on. It took hours to create a fire and keep a fire maintained. To cook a meal was a four to five to six hour process. I can remember as a small child when my grandmother would make Sunday dinners, she worked for four to five hours to provide a meal for a large family that we would hog down in about 15 minutes. But it was virtually an all-day affair. Kind of maybe the closest thing we have in our world today is if you're hosting Thanksgiving at your house, how long it would take to get that raw turkey out and that turkey is thawed and you're pulling out the innards from that turkey and you're putting it in an oven and you're baking and baking and baking for hours and you're making all the other stuff that's the cranberries and the dressings and you're mashing potatoes. That takes hours and hours. That is what preparing a meal was like in their world every day.

It wasn't a matter of just throwing something into the microwave or chopping up some vegetables that you pulled out of your cool refrigerator or cooking something for 15 minutes in order to eat.

For them, cooking and preparing a meal was a big deal that consumed a lot of Sabbath time. And God said, prepare the day before. Now, what does the word Sabbath mean? There are a few Hebrew words used throughout the Old Testament with the root sabat and they're translated into English.

Sabbath means to rest, to repose, to desist, to an experience and intermission. You're doing something which is your normal duties and labors and then you have an intermission before you resume those duties and labors back again. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, the Sabbath was a day in which man was to leave off his secular labors and keep a day holy to Jehovah.

End of quote. So this event occurs weeks before the nation even reached Mount Sinai. The Sabbath is reaffirmed before a covenant is discussed or ratified with the people of Israel. Since the Sabbath predates the Old Covenant, it goes back actually to creation, it's not limited to the terms of the Old Covenant. This should not surprise anyone since Moses wrote in Genesis 1 that it was established at creation itself long before there were any Jews or Hebrews or Gentiles.

So let's go now to Exodus chapter 20 and see where it did become part of the covenant that God had with Israel. The words directly spoken by God to the people, Exodus chapter 20, verse 8, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shall labor, shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.

You nor your son nor your daughter nor your male servant nor your female servant nor your cattle nor your stranger who is within your gates. In other words, within the property that you own, the confines of what you own. Verse 11, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. I want you to notice how this instruction to Israel says, and why? Because it harkens back to what I did with creation. This isn't something I've just made up. This isn't some invention for Israel. This is something that harkens back to what I instituted at the time of creation itself. Now it says, notice it says, you shall do no work. What does it mean to work? The Hebrew word for work here in verses 9 and 10 is melaka. Melaka is the Hebrew word. It means occupation. Business. Workmanship. Servile. Or industrious. Labor. That's what we are not to do on the Sabbath. And of course, originally the Sabbath was intended to be humanitarian, and it was intended to be universal for all humanity. So by what authority and what original event here is the Sabbath established? It was at the creation by the example of God himself during the original seventh day. Yes, the Sabbath is the fourth commandment. As one of God's great moral laws, we need to understand that predates the old covenant is not limited to its terms. God gave the Ten Commandments directly and personally to the people from Mount Sinai. What existed before the law of Moses cannot become obsolete when the law of Moses becomes obsolete. I want to mention something very important regarding any covenant that God would ever make, whether that covenant is with Abraham, Noah, the old covenant, or with us. God has things that are part of any covenant he makes. If you were to make a deal with Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, he has a template in which all of his contracts are created. He has things in there that are non-negotiable. If you're going to do a deal with Warren Buffett, you accept that or it's no deal.

The same is true with God. Any covenant he makes, there are two great moral principles. Number one, and it doesn't matter who God makes that covenant with, again, whether it's Noah, Abraham, Moses, ancient Israel, the New Testament church, non-negotiables are number one who and what God is, how he must be respected, how he must be honored. Number two is respect for his creation, those who were created in the image of God. Those are non-negotiables, and God has those in every covenant he makes, or it's no deal. That's how important they are to our Creator. So as we emphasize this, we want to mention that even though this was indeed part of the Old Covenant, it existed before the Old Covenant, and when the law of Moses is done away, the Ten Commandments continue because they reflect the eternal values of God himself. Let's take a look now at chapter 31 of Exodus. Exodus chapter 31 says, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak also to the children of Israel, saying, surely my Sabbaths you shall keep. It is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it will surely be put to death, for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant, as long as that covenant exists. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever. For in six days, the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.

We see here that the Sabbath is a special sign between God and his people. Through any given time in human history. Again, since the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, it must be part of his covenant with Israel. God's moral law is part of any covenant he makes. The Sabbath is a sign because God expects to be first in our lives. It is a sign of who the people of God are at any time in human history. It distinguishes them, yes, maybe as oddballs, but it distinguishes them through any given time in history who God's people are. It's a sign of who the people of God are and a sign of who the one true God is. All right, now let's go into the new covenant, the New Testament. Let's look at the personal example of Jesus Christ. Mark 4 and verse 16. If you'll turn there with me, Mark 4 and verse 16. It says, And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.

Do you know there are over 40 scriptures mentioning Jesus and worshiping on the Sabbath day. Obviously, I don't have time to go through those. I hope this cements that point. Virtually everyone agrees that Jesus observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Now, some ignorantly jump on this phrase as his custom was to make it a negative term or a weak affirmation of the Sabbath. And, of course, that's ridiculous because it's just the King James translators who translated it that way.

Here's what the New Century version says about the same verse. Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On one Sabbath day, he went to the synagogue as he always did.

Not as his custom was, as he always did. And he stood up to read. So don't let the twisted words of a particular translation think that the Sabbath somehow is diminished or demeaned by its phraseology. Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath faithfully. But, here's the key. He did it as it was originally intended. That put him in direct conflict oftentimes with the Pharisees who created all of these silly oral laws and man-made rules that transformed the Sabbath from being a time of liberty and delight to being one of a burden, one that was loaded down with unnecessary do's and don'ts, rights and wrongs. And Jesus railed against that. Mark 2 and verse 23. If you'll turn there with me, Mark 2 and verse 23.

We'll see an example of this. Now, it happened that as he went through the grain fields in the Sabbath, and as they went, his disciples began the pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to them, look, why do they do that is not lawful on the Sabbath? But he said to them, have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry? He and those with him, and he's arching back to an account in the Old Testament, he says, how he went into the house of God in the days of Abathar, the high priest, and ate the showbread which is not lawful to eat except for the priest.

And he also gave some to those who were with him. So not only did David eat of the showbread, he gave it to some of his party who were with him. The great teacher himself came to restore the meaning of God's laws and to preach their spiritual application in our lives. The Jews accused the disciples of reaping on the Sabbath day. Now what were they doing? They were hungry. They pulled some kernels off some and they would write it and split it open and they'd eat some of the... Oh, you're reaping! You're harvesting on the Sabbath day! That's exactly what they're doing. Obviously, this was their own exaggerated restriction of the law of God. The disciples were hungry and merely plucking enough grain to eat on the spot. And one of the things Jesus desired to restore was the humanitarian focus of the Sabbath. This is also the reason Jesus publicly healed on the Sabbath day and other episodes in which he upset the Jews as he would heal publicly. He did that on purpose on the Sabbath day. He could have said to people, pssst, come behind the building and I'll heal you. Or come into this room and I'll... No! He made sure that he did it in the sight of everybody, just to rile their feathers a little bit, because he was trying to restore the humanitarian focus of the Sabbath day. The Sabbath day is about compassion. It's about mercy. In his biblical reference regarding David in what Jesus said, David was hungry and he was under distress since he didn't even have a weapon. He was in crisis mode, running for his life, and he showed up. That account, of course, is in 1 Samuel chapter 21. Abathar, understanding the greater importance of mercy, prompted him to offer the showbread to David and to his men. Jesus was bringing out an example of how compassion and humanity are more important than rules. Now, let's take a look at a powerful statement Jesus makes in verse 27. And he said to them, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man, for the Sabbath. The word man here is a Greek word, anthropos. It comes from the same word we use for anthropology. That is the study of humans. Anthropology is not the study of Jewish people. All right? It's not the study of Hebrews.

It is the study of mankind. The original Greek says, a man's face. What did Jesus mean by the statement, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath? The Jews had created so many restrictions and burdens on the Sabbath that man served the Sabbath instead of the Sabbath serving the spiritual and emotional needs of man. A time of refreshment, a time of regeneration.

The Pharisees worshiped the Sabbath instead of using time to worship the Creator. They gave more attention to Sabbath observance than they did to worshiping God. This is still a problem for some in the Church today. Some idolize the 24-hour period of Sabbath time, but disregard the God who established it. For me to just say, well, yeah, the Sabbath's holy, and for me to meticulously observe those 24 hours and not make an effort to go out and publicly worship God on the Sabbath is pretty shallow in my part if I were to do that. It's not consistent. Others, unfortunately, within the Church demonstrate foul judgmental attitudes and obvious glaring personal sins, but they think they're righteous because they observed the Sabbath. My friends, the Pharisees observed the Sabbath far more meticulously than I do, and Jesus condemned many of its leaders to hellfire. So there's obviously more to this way of life than idolizing a 24-hour period of time.

It is God who should be idolized, not the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders also self-righteously taught that the Sabbath was only for the Jew, that it was a special gift from God, a special connection only given to Jewish people. The Greek word used here, again, for man is anthropos, and it means a human being. Technically, it means one with a human's face. It's not restricted to any racial group, any ethnic lineage. It's not restricted to anyone. Jesus could have easily said Jew or Hebrew. There are Greek terms for that, and Mark would have recorded it that way. But Mark recorded it from the knowledge that had passed on to him that Jesus said the Sabbath was made for humanity, not the Sabbath was made for Jew or the Sabbath was made for Hebrew. Verse 28, therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus Christ is saying that the Sabbath was intended, that the Sabbath was intended because I was there, Jesus says. Don't argue with me, Christ says, about what the rules are, what's right and wrong regarding Sabbath observance. Jesus said, I was there. I created it. I established it. I ordained it for mankind.

He wasn't interested in hearing their babblings or their vain interpretations of what the Sabbath was about, or what's right, or what's wrong. As the original creator of the Sabbath, he decides what the rules are. I don't get to decide. You don't get to decide. Rabbis don't get to decide. Oral law doesn't get to decide. Near the end of his ministry, as late as near the end of his ministry, let's take a look at a prophecy to see what he expected to observe from his end-time church. We're going to go all the way to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24. Obviously, an end-time prophecy. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. This is the time when Jerusalem will be captured by an army coming from Europe. Flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down and take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes, but woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days and pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. Interesting. Jesus Christ actually has expectations that in the future, the time of the end, that his people will be observing the Sabbath. Let's finish this off. Why? Why does he mention all these things? Verse 21. For then there will be great tribulation such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. That's the expectation of Jesus Christ.

When he returns, will he find a faithful people? Will he find a people who clung to this very important day that honors him not once a year, not through some relabeled pagan day in which you put lipstick and high heels on it and pass it off as something beautiful and wonderful, but a day that God actually created that honors Jesus Christ, the very one who established it.

Jesus expected his followers to be observing the Sabbath many years into the future, even to the time of the future temple's destruction and his second coming to earth.

He strongly implies that the elect are observing the Sabbath at the end of the age of man.

So that's what Jesus said. What about his disciples? Did they follow his example? Let's go to Acts 13, verse 42. Take a look at a few scriptures here. Acts 13, verse 42.

Well, after the New Testament church was established, this is a statement made when Paul's preaching the gospel in Antioch. So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them on the next Sabbath.

So what do you think Paul said to them? Oh, you got it all wrong! I won't be here next Sabbath, but I'll be here on Sunday. Think maybe that's what Paul said? Verse 43. Now, when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout Prostolites followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. I hear that all the time. Oh, I don't need to keep the Sabbath because I'm under grace. Well, let's read the next verse. Let's find out what the grace of God is. On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together. This is a Gentile city. On the next Sabbath, the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. So here's a clear example of the Gentiles, as well as the Jews being taught about the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath directly from Paul and Barnabas. Now, we know in chapter 15, just a few chapters later, they have a ministerial conference in 49 AD. Did Paul think that the decision of that conference eliminated Sabbath observance? Well, let's see by... let's see if he walked the walk. Acts 16 and verse 11. This time in Philippi. Let's see what it says. Acts 16 verse 11. This is after, obviously, the ministerial conference spoken of in the chapter before. Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace. The next city came to Neopolis and there to Philippi, which is the foremost part city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. And on the Sabbath day, we went out of the city to the riverside where prayer was customarily made. And we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now, a certain woman named Lydia Hurdus, she was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

Again, this is after the ministerial conference in Acts 15. Paul continues to preach on the Sabbath two Gentiles. Some have said that Paul only preached in the Sabbath because he would find an audience in the synagogue. That's one of my favorite phrases. Oh, he only did that because he wanted to look for an audience in the synagogue. Here, we see an example of Paul not in a synagogue, but on the Sabbath day going out by the riverside to preach the good news of the coming kingdom of God. That only makes sense. What other day pictures? Every week, the millennium in the coming kingdom of God, where the king of kings will reign over all the earth, the Savior, where the Savior will rule. Of course, the Sabbath day reminds us of that every week. Acts chapter 18. Let's see what happens in Corinth. He actually stayed in Corinth for a while. We know that historically.

Acts chapter 18 and verse 4. So let's see if his mind changed from after the ministerial conference in 49 AD. It says, "...and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks." Last time I checked. Greeks are Gentiles. I know I went to the Cleveland Public School system, but I think that's correct. So again, after the ministerial conference, in Acts 15, Paul continues to observe and preach to both Jews and Gentiles, Jews and Greeks, on the Sabbath day. I want you to notice what it says in verse 11. It says, "...and he continued there in Corinth a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." So let's see if he went to the synagogue, verse 4, "...every Sabbath, and he was there for a year and a half for over seventy-five straight Sabbaths. He preached the word of God in Corinth." How's that for an endorsement? Can you get any better than that?

He taught the Jews and Gentiles about Jesus Christ.

For a final scripture we'll look at today, let's go to...well, I'm sorry, I lied.

It's the second final scripture. Just keep you on your toes, see if you're paying attention.

Hebrews 4 and verse 7, if you'll turn there with me. Now that I have you awake, Hebrews 4 and verse 7.

Now, we're going to go here to the book of Hebrews. The context is chapter 4.

And the context is that throughout time the gospel has been taught to many people the good news, that God wants to have a relationship with each and every one that Jesus Christ is Savior. It was ancient Israel. It was in Paul's time. It's obviously in our day.

So the context is that throughout time people have heard the gospel and they have sought a millennial heavenly rest, but very few have ever attained it because it wasn't mixed with faith.

And that's the point of the context of the scripture. Now, if you have the King James version or New King James version, verse 9, which is a key verse, is translated in a very mediocre way.

It's going to say something like this, there remains therefore a rest for the people of God. How many have that in their Bibles? Okay.

That is a poor mediocre translation. And I'll explain why. We'll look at some alternatives.

I'm going to read, going back to verse 7, from the new international version. When I get here to verse 9, I want you to compare what you've got to the correct way it's translated in this translation. And many other translations, by the way, also translate this correctly. I begin with verse 7, therefore God again set a certain day, calling it today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as he said before, today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken about later, spoken later about another day.

So in context, the author is saying that many people heard the good news. They were excited about God's way of life. It happened in ancient Israel, but it must not have been fulfilled, because the same thing happened in David's day. So he says, but it wasn't mixed with faith. So here's the key in verse 9. And this is from the new international version. Compare it with what you have. There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. That's what verse 9 says, and that is a proper way to translate it.

For anyone who enters God's rest, also rests from his own work just as God did from his, meaning just as God rested from the time of creation, and he took a rest, there remains a weekly keeping, physical keeping of the Sabbath day for the people of God. That's what the translation does, what the scripture says. Now, the word rest is used many times in these verses, but when you get to verse 9, the author uses a totally different Greek word for the phrase Sabbath rest that I just mentioned in verse 9, inappropriately translated rest in the King James Version.

In every other usage of those verses, the word rest in chapters 3 and 4, it's a Greek word katapasis, which means to rest or settle down. But here in verse 9, a totally different word was used by the author, whether it's Paul or someone else, chose a unique word. The only time it's ever used in the entire New Testament, the word is sabbatismos, and is nowhere else found in the New Testament. However, it is found in later writings. I'm going to quote to you from the Anchor Bible Dictionary. This is from the Anchor Bible Dictionary. It states, quote, the word Sabbath rest translate the Greek word now.

Sabatismos is a unique word in the New Testament. This term also appears in Plutarch for Sabbath observance. Continuing, and in four post canonical Christian writings, that means writings after the New Testament was canonized, in four post canonical Christian writings, which are not dependent on Hebrews 4-9 for the seventh day Sabbath celebration.

So, in every word that that word is used in outside sources, since we can't use the Bible, it's the only place that's used here, is referring to the physical observance of the Sabbath day. I'd like to read to you verses 9 and 10 from the Jerusalem Bible. Surprisingly, this is a Catholic translation that came out in the 1980s. Here's what it says, quote, there must still be therefore a seventh day rest reserved for God's people, since to enter the place of rest is to rest after your work as God did after his.

End of quote. Pretty clear, pretty powerful from the Jerusalem Bible. And there are many other translations, aside from this in the New International Version, that indeed do interpret it, translate it correctly. The author of Hebrews is discussing how a Sabbath rest still remains for those who seek God and want to have a relationship with him. Others had heard the message but failed to achieve the Promised Land because they failed to combine it with faith. So, believe it or not, now I'm coming to my final scripture. In conclusion, we've looked at the Old Testament, we looked at the origins of the Sabbath day of creation, we looked at it in different aspects through the New Testament, direct example of Jesus Christ, the example of Paul.

Now, let's go to Isaiah chapter 66 and look at the future and see what the scriptures tell us about a time that will exist when I believe the world will slow down a little bit. We don't observe new moons today because they're not commanded and we are in a very busy world. In ancient Israel, they did observe new moons as civil celebrations and they would feast, they would, I might add, they would work on those days, but they would also be times, especially the evening before, to have a fine meal and celebrate.

Remember, they didn't have pocket calendars, so knowing when the beginning of each month was very important to them or they would lose track of time. And it was a civil celebration. The world was a lot simpler back then, plus it was another reason to worship God. So we need to understand that when we read this verse. Isaiah chapter 66 and verse 22, for as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants and your name remain and it shall come to pass it from one new moon to another.

Again, it's going to be a slower time. It's going to be a time when people will stop at the beginning of each new moon to acknowledge it, to have a family meal, to make it an opportunity to think about God and to thank God for his blessings. It shall come to pass it from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another. All flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord. It doesn't say all Jews, all Semites. No, it says all flesh from every nation. And as we know in Zechariah 14, regarding the Feast of Tabernacles, one of God's holy days, remember what happens to Egypt if it doesn't respect and come to Jerusalem, an empathy Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, there shall be no rain.

That's how important these times are to God. There will come a time when all peoples on earth will enjoy the Sabbath as it was originally intended because it's a gift for all humanity. Humankind will look anxiously for reasons and ways to worship God, including the new moons at that time. Here's what the Believer's Study Bible says about this verse. This verse is one of the highlights of prophetic vision that one day the Lord alone will be universally worshiped.

The prophet teaches that there will be regular, faithful, and meaningful worship by all in the millennial age. So we have a conclusion today. First of all, Christians who observe the seventh day Sabbath don't keep it because it provides salvation. We don't keep the Sabbath because we think it makes us superior to others. We joyfully observe the Sabbath to honor and respect the commandments of God as an expression of our faith and the grace that God has given us.

We follow the example of Jesus Christ, the messenger of the new covenant, and the example of his disciples. As God's children, we seek the joyfully obey our Father's commands and the please Him in all that we do, and that includes the Sabbath day. We also know that we're blessed for our loving obedience to our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. We believe that observing the seventh day is an act of loving God as a response to the grace of Jesus Christ. We want to be obedient, positive, faithful children of the living God. We faithfully worship the Creator God and not the Sabbath as the holy time of rest and worship and celebration.

So, in contrast to the example of this world, the real way to honor Jesus Christ is to worship Him as King and Savior on the very day that He established a creation. That day is the Sabbath day. It's not one day a year. The real gift that God wants from us to bring to Him is a contrite heart and the attitude of being a living sacrifice. And we do that daily. We should do that daily.

Now you know the rest of the story.