The Story of the Sabbath

It is a beautiful Sabbath day and a beautiful opportunity, then, to speak about the Sabbath. Our topic today, the title, is the story of the Sabbath. The story of the Sabbath. Have you ever wondered why, of all the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is the only one that is prefaced with the word remember? Well, let me just tell you, it's not coincidental.

It's actually prophetic. Where the Almighty God, gazing through the corridors of time, foresaw a day in which His people, His followers, would abandon the Sabbath, the truth of the Sabbath. Where the Sabbath, the very cornerstone of creation, would be, if you will, dismantled stone by stone, leaving a foundation which was cracked and compromised. And so, for God to begin His Sabbath command with the word remember, what He was endeavoring to do is to bring His people back to the day and to that gift in which He gave to all of mankind.

And so, for all those who worship God on the first day, on Sunday, what we're about to reveal today should shake the very pillars of their faith and challenge everything that they have been taught to believe. And for those of us who have remembered the Sabbath, well this is crucial for us to take on a study like this so that we can truly remember and never forget, never forget, because it has been an incredible attack. Centuries and centuries have shown us that there has been these relentless attacks on this divine institution of the Sabbath by the Great Adversary.

The Great Adversary who knows that by altering this commandment, he's not only attacking a particular day of the week, but he actually strikes at the very authority of the Creator Himself. You know, the prophecy of Daniel speaks very clearly of an end-time power which would actually come to and think to change times and laws. We won't turn there, but if you'd like for your notes, that's Daniel 7 verse 25. Daniel 7, 25. And so that prophecy of Daniel, it's not some kind of abstract prediction.

It is actually the astonishing, fulfilled prophecy playing out before our very eyes today, leading millions of sincere worshipers down the path of unwitting disobedience. And the implications are staggering. And so, the Sabbath is not merely a peculiar denominational belief. No. The Sabbath, in fact, is the divine boundary line being drawn across human history, separating those who keep God's commandments from those who keep human tradition. Okay? And I believe, and I believe, that perhaps sooner than we think, this seemingly insignificant question of which day do we worship, it will actually emerge as the central issue in the final conflict described in the book of Revelation, where we're told in Scripture that the Sabbath will be the sign between God and his people.

And so, every believer, every truth seeker should ask for the insight and the help of the Holy Spirit and to access that power to pray, not only for a deeper understanding of the Sabbath, but pray that this day never be forgotten. So, let's endeavor to remember today, and let's take a moment to truly understand all that is the story of the Sabbath. And we're going to break it down. We're going to break our study down into four parts. Each part will give a word that begins with the letter C. Why do that?

Well, it's just the way to organize my thoughts, and perhaps it'll help you organize your thoughts. So, we're going to look at four C's today in considering our remembrance of the Sabbath. With the first C, when we consider the Sabbath, the first C maybe, perhaps to consider, is creation. Creation. So, when you begin to think about or reflect upon the Sabbath, I want your thoughts to turn first to the word creation.

Creation. You know, it's a remarkable thing that God, from the very beginning, understood that we needed this day, even before we knew we needed this day. He knew mankind needed this day from the very beginning of creation. So, let's travel back. Let's go and stand in the Garden of Eden for a moment, because it is in that garden at the foundation of creation that the story of the Sabbath begins. So, if you have your Bibles, let's turn to Genesis chapter 2, and we're going to read verses 1 through 3. That's Genesis 2, chapter 2, and we're going to read verses 1 through 3.

I like to think that this, where we're breaking into Scripture here in Genesis 2 verse 1, I like to think this is one of the quietest scenes in all the Bible, perhaps though maybe one of the most breathtaking. You know, here in this scene that we're coming to, there's no thunder, there's no trumpets, there's no ground shaking before the presence of God, there's no nation assembled, there's no, not even any commandments being proclaimed. Here, in this moment, is only a perfect world with a perfect creator, delighted in everything he has made. Let's read this together. Genesis 2, beginning in verse 1, and we'll read to verse 3.

The writer says, "...thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host in them were finished. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he hadn't done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made." Let's stop there. Okay, so God blessed and sanctified, that means he set apart from the others this seventh day. And perhaps at first glance, this may seem just so simple, maybe wonderfully simple, but what we're going to see is by the end of this study that within these three verses, God establishes a gift, the gift of a day, which will reach from Eden all the way to a new earth and a new heaven, a new creation. But here is where the story of the Sabbath begins, and it's a beautiful beginning here. And perhaps the first thing we should notice here at creation is to notice when the Sabbath gift is given. Genesis 2 comes before Genesis 3. I know you may have to write that down. That was profound, right? It seems obvious, but it is profound, because if you think about it, at this point there is no sin, there is no curse, there is no suffering, there is no shame, there is no guilt, there is no fear, there is no death. Adam hadn't hidden from God yet. He had no disappointment. He had no interruption in his relationship with God, in his fellowship. He and his creator had a relationship that was unhindered. Everything God made he declared is very good. Everything in this moment breathes harmony. Everything reflects the goodness of the Creator. So, not after sin, but before sin, God sets apart the seventh day. And I believe that observation alone will fundamentally change everything we understand about the Sabbath, because many people assume that the Sabbath was created, and the Sabbath exists, because sweat and toil came upon man after the fall. But Scripture here tells a different story, a different order. The Sabbath is older than human rebellion. The Sabbath is older than the need for redemption itself.

So, when you think about the Sabbath, think about it in its very beginning of creation. The Sabbath belongs to paradise, if you will. The Sabbath belongs to God's original design for human life. It's not God's response to a broken creation. It is part of his perfect creation, you see. So, before mankind ever knew weariness, God already prepared rest. Before mankind ever experienced distance from God, God had already created a period of time specifically designed for fellowship with him. The first thing God ever declared blessed was not a place, but it was time. A period of time. How remarkable is that? But it is beautiful because, unlike a place, time is experienced by everyone.

Time touches everyone. You could be rich, you could be poor, you could be educated, uneducated. You could be a king, you could be a servant, you could be a parent, you could be a child. Generation after generation, God placed his blessing onto something that every human being would experience every single week. And every week, that blessing quietly returns like a sunrise, and it comes again and again, inviting and offering itself to every generation. And so perhaps one of the greatest lessons we learn at creation in Eden is that it teaches us the story of the Sabbath begins at creation. But as beautiful as Eden was, it would not remain that way. Because we know the next chapter of Genesis records one of the greatest tragedies of human history. Sin enters the world, the fellowship between Adam and Eve, and their God becomes fractured, a curse comes upon the whole creation, the world becomes restless. It's a restless world from that point forward, and yet, even though humanity wandered away from God, God didn't forget. He remembered, and he desired to still have time with his creation. So the story, the story of the Sabbath, while it begins at the creation, it would continue. And again, it leads us to our next C. The second of four C's to help organize your thoughts as you're considering, as you're thinking about the Sabbath. The second C to consider is commandment. Okay, that's the second C in remembering the Sabbath, considering the Sabbath. The second C is commandment, where God would begin with one nation, he would reach out to that nation with a command. A command to remember every, that very thing that he gave to mankind at creation. And the call to this nation would come in a loving commandment. And this is where we now turn. We're going to now move from the story of of the Sabbath from Genesis now to Exodus. Centuries passed since Adam and Eve left the garden. Humanity had wandered further and further away from their creator. We had the violence of Noah's generation filling the earth, the pride of Babel reaching toward the heavens. But it was time, time for God to begin to bring mankind's remembrance back to him. And he would begin with a man named Abraham, to whom he would make a covenant relationship with. God, through Abraham, would raise up Isaac, bless Jacob, preserve Joseph. And as circumstances would come that perhaps only God could orchestrate, the descendants of Abraham found themselves living in Egypt. While at first they prospered, eventually everything would change. A new pharaoh would rise up and the Israelites became enslaved. And from that point forward, nothing belonged to God's people. Parents unable to control their lives, families under constant demands of a cruel task masters. Their strength belonged to Pharaoh. Their labor belonged to Pharaoh. Their days belonged to Pharaoh. Their very time belonged to Pharaoh. Everything belonged to Pharaoh.

Except their heart. Their heart still belonged to the one who would remember them. And remember the time, the one who set time aside for a covenant relationship. And he wanted and desired out of love to restore and redeem that time back between himself and his people. So then came one of the greatest displays of power as God sent plagues into Egypt. The people would go free. Israel eventually arrived at Mount Sinai.

Now while the Genesis 2 interaction might have been quiet, this one wasn't. Here at Mount Sinai, a mountain wrapped in smoke. Thunder now would echo from the heavens. Lightning flashed. The people trembling below. The earth itself shaking beneath God's Almighty presence. And God spoke and gave the Ten Commandments. With the fourth commandment being this commandment to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. Let's turn there, if you will, Exodus 20, verse 8 through 11. Exodus 20, verses 8 through 11. Here is our second C, the commandment, the Sabbath command, to bring their thoughts back to their Creator. Exodus 20 will begin in verse 8. This command will begin again with this incredible word, Remember. Remember. Exodus 20, beginning in verse 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you nor your son nor your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor your stranger who is in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and earth, the sea, and all that was in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it. Let's stop there. Made it holy here. So you'll notice he doesn't say, I want you to choose the day. Pick whatever day you want. No. He says, remember. Remember what? Remember what was established at creation. Remember the gift I gave you. Remember the seventh day that I your God blessed, and I sanctified this day. Remember, this is the Sabbath of me, the Lord your God, he says. The commandment says, remember the gift that humanity has forgotten.

And the word, remember this command, our second sea commandment, the words of this commandment, you see he reaches back all the way to creation itself in this command. So Mount Sinai was not inventing the Sabbath. Sinai was restoring its memory. It's that clear. Once again, God himself with this command he hearkens back to creation. We read it there. For in six days, he's hearkening back, the Lord made the heavens and the earth the sea and all that's in it and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it. So again, he points them back to creation. So every Sabbath quietly proclaims something that the world desperately needs to hear. There is a creator, and the Sabbath proclaims that. Creation. Every every sunrise proclaims his glory. Every mountain declares his majesty. Every ocean reveals his power. Every heartbeat testifies to the one who made life. And every seventh day, every Sabbath day declares there is a creator that longs to spend time with you.

Not because he's lonely, not because he lacks anything, because he loves you, and love ushers in relationship. Relationship. And so from the very beginning of creation, every seventh day gently interrupts the frantic pace of human life and whispers to his children, stop, rest, remember, and come to me, and let's build our relationship by spending time together.

Yet, yet, as people do, as people endeavor to remember this Sabbath day, they made a hash out of it. And something tragic happened over the centuries where the gift of the Sabbath slowly began to be overshadowed by layers of human tradition. The day that once brought joy now eventually became a burden for so many as the invitation became entangled by man-made regulations. But God wasn't finished. God wasn't finished telling the story of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was never to look like this. The Sabbath was never to be riddled with man-made regulations and burdens. And so, into that world at that time, Jesus Christ came, bringing with him our third C to consider today as we consider the Sabbath. The third C being the word correction. That's our third C in considering and remembering the Sabbath. Perhaps think of, thirdly, think of correction. And this is where Jesus Christ stepped onto the stage of human history, and he came with the purpose to correct the Sabbath back to its original intention. And in him, the beauty of the Sabbath would shine so bright, brighter than it ever had before, for the Lord of the Sabbath, which he would now declare himself, had come to reveal the very heart of the Sabbath, the very depth of meaning of this blessed and special period of time. So, Jesus stepped into humanity, and when he did so, the Sabbath had not changed. God's commandment had not changed. The blessing and the holiness of the seventh day had not changed. But the way people understood it had drastically changed. You see, again, the day the day that God created to be a delight gradually became a burden, an ugly burden. How did this happen? Well, if you know the story that led up to this, you realize that the religious, the so-called religious leaders of the day, they knew Israel's history. They remembered the nation's repeated failures, specifically surrounding their breaking of the Sabbath day, and they knew that disobedience had led their nation to be led into exile. And so, with good but misguided intentions, if we're gracious to them, they sought to ensure that God's people would never violate the Sabbath command again. And to accomplish that, they would now build these sort of fences around all the commandments, but particularly around the Sabbath. Barriers, boundaries, additions, added prohibitions onto God's perfect commandment to remember. Man-made prohibitions onto the Sabbath command. So where God established his own boundaries, for sure we read about them, they added additional boundaries. So where God added his own prohibitions and what to do and not do on the Sabbath to keep it holy, they added their own prohibitions and some tens and some hundreds onto God's perfect law. And the outcome was heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking, because eventually people could no longer distinguish between the beauty of the Sabbath and all of the man-made commands added onto it. They couldn't distinguish between the two. And so the commandment which was given to protect against forgetting slowly became oppressive. Instead of God's people asking, how can I make this Sabbath day a delight between my God and I and build my relationship, instead of asking that, they ask, what am I allowed to do? Am I allowed to step here, step there? What am I going to get in trouble here or get in trouble there? You see? So fear replaced joy. Rules overshadowed relationship.

That's what happened. And so again, into that world Jesus Christ came, bringing with him correction, loving correction, if you will. And that's a fact, because one of the most striking things in all of the Gospels is, time and time again, you find Jesus in his ministry colliding with those religious leaders on issues surrounding the Sabbath. Time and time again, Jesus's ministry intersected and collided with issues surrounding the Sabbath. Why? Well, I think Jesus knew it was a perfect environment for him to come and begin to bring their hearts and their understanding back to the beauty of his Father and that relationship and the beauty of the original creation intention and to reveal these things, the original intent of the Sabbath. So Jesus, in his ministry, corrected so many misunderstandings and he collided with their misunderstandings. He exposed pride. He challenged empty religious practices that they had been performing around their Sabbath observance, swept away all their man-made traditions that had eclipsed the beauty of the Sabbath command. But so I don't fail to state it, let me just stay that in all of Jesus's Sabbath interactions, we notice something remarkable. He never corrected the fourth commandment. He only corrected their false interpretation of it. Very important to state. He never corrected the fourth commandment or dismissed it or took away its emphasis. He only corrected their misunderstanding surrounding it and he never hinted at anything other than the commanded beauty of the Sabbath day, but instead he patiently removed layers of human tradition. So the Gospels tell their own story of the Sabbath. If there is the story in Genesis, there's a story in the Exodus, and now the story of the Sabbath in the Gospels. And we find maybe one of the most remarkable moments recorded in the Gospels in Mark chapter 2, beginning in verse 24. So if you'll turn there with me now, Mark 2 verse 24 is the perfect place to go as it has the most well-known Sabbath account. One you're very familiar with, Mark 2 verse 24 now has Jesus and His disciples moving through the grain fields. You know this story, plucking off heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, eating the kernels. But there are the Pharisees, the religious authority of the day. Aha! We caught you! They were always around every corner. I don't know how they did that, but they're always sneaking up on Jesus and His disciples. And here in Mark 2 verse 24, breaking into the story, they say, look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath? Of course, that's their law that they're going by here. You'll notice they didn't accuse Jesus of theft. There was actually laws permitting travelers as they're passing by the grain to pluck from by hand from neighbor's fields. But the objection here is according to their man-made regulations surrounding the Sabbath. You see, human tradition that they added, it would take simple actions on the Sabbath and make them into these complicated violations. So ugly. So ugly. So plucking became the work of harvesting, they said. And rubbing the grain, well, that became the work of threshing. Separating the kernels became the work of winnowing. And even just simply eating became, in their eyes, the forbidden work of food preparation, you know. So all these man-made regulations were added to the Sabbath, not by the Creator, but by man.

So Jesus responds and reminds them of a story of David. That's next here, verse 25 and 26. Here's Jesus's response to them. Verse 25 and 26, he says, but he said to them, Jesus said to them, Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry? He and those with him? How when he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the showbread, the holy showbread, which was not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also David gave some to those who were with him? Let's stop there. Have you not read this, he says to them? Why is he bringing this up? Well, he's speaking to a larger principle. He's speaking to the original intention here. He's speaking to the hearts. The hearts. What's in the heart? David and his men were not treating a holy thing with contempt. They weren't doing that. They were weary, they were hungry, and they were in genuine need. And in that exceptional circumstance, preserving life, extending mercy in that moment to their condition reflected the very purpose for which God's law had been given. It's that simple. Jesus was reminding them that God never intended the Sabbath command, or any of his commandments, to be a burden or to ignore human need. The law was given by a compassionate father, and its purpose was always to lead people into life, not to crush them under the weight of man-made interpretations. The Pharisees had become so focused on protecting their own rules that they were in danger of missing the God who gave the very rules that they proposed they were observing. So Jesus calls them and us to remember God's commandments, remember the Sabbath, and to understand that the Sabbath, or any of God's commandments, and God's compassion, they never conflict with one another. God's commandments and God's compassion, they're never in conflict with one another.

That is why Jesus did not come to abolish the Sabbath. He came to restore it to its original purpose. What is its original purpose? It's holy, sanctified, commanded. It reveals goodness and compassion and reveals the graciousness and heart of our God. And so Jesus comes to correct our Third See correction. He comes bringing correction to give a deeper meaning to the Sabbath command while never dismissing it or minimizing it. And then, just in case there's any question, verse 27, Jesus speaks these words echoing through history. Verse 27, if you'll look down there, Jesus says to them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Breathtaking. The Sabbath was made for man. Notice he does not say man invented the Sabbath. No. Man doesn't have that right to pick a day or pick how they choose to observe it. He says the Sabbath, the seventh day, was made. Who made it? Who designed it? Who created it? Who lovingly prepared it for mankind? The Creator Himself. And for whom was it made? Was it made for Adam and Eve only? Was it made for one generation? Was it made only for one nation? Was it made only for one ethnic people? No. Very clearly, the Lord of the Sabbath says the Sabbath was made for man. For man.

And if he's still not clear, if he hasn't punctuated enough, well, verse 28 comes to us. I've referenced this a few times. Here is the proclamation. Verse 28, Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

So, if you really think about this, Jesus is not merely claiming authority over a Jewish custom. No. He's claiming authority over something that was established at creation. Who rightfully, who can rightfully be the Lord of the Sabbath? Well, the one who instituted it, right? The one who blessed it, the one who set it apart and sanctified it. And so he, that same one, now stands providing the correction, loving correction needed at this day. And so again, Jesus's ministry was always intersecting and colliding with misinterpretations of the Sabbath. Another one comes to us in the following chapter. Let's just briefly look at this to understand more of God's original intention. Look at chapter 3 here. We have the man with the withered hand. And there are the religious leaders who would have been fine with leaving this man withered on the Sabbath. They would have said, oh yeah, that's right. Let's let him stay withered. No. The Lord of the Sabbath corrects that understanding. Breaking in here, following the field incident, Mark 3, verse 1 through 6. Look at this. Mark 3, verse 1 through 6. And now he, Jesus, entered the synagogue again. So here's another Sabbath intersection. And a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched him closely. That's the religious of the day. Whether he would heal this man on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, step forward. Then he said to them, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil? To save life or to kill? Well, they kept quiet. So then he looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts. And he said to the man, stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out. And his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out immediately and plotted with Herodians against him how they might destroy him. Let's stop there. You know, this Sabbath incident was really the precipice leading to the final crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They hated this. They wanted to keep that man withered. And it all surrounds the ugly interpretation that they placed on the Sabbath.

A suffering man stands before him. They weren't concerned with the restoration. Their concern was preserving their misinterpretation of the Sabbath.

So then he asked that question, well, what is lawful? What is lawful on the Sabbath? To do good? To do evil? No one answers. So he says, stretch out your hand. I'm sure this man maybe had it covered, you know, under his clothing. I'm sure he's looking at the Pharisees. Are you sure about this, Jesus? Okay. He stretches it out, obeys his Creator. Who knows how long this man had kept that hand hidden? I'm sure the Pharisees just pitied this man. Look down upon him. Look down upon him as lower class, disabled. Well, these are the very ones Jesus searches for and finds and raises them up, heals them. In an instant, on the Sabbath day, strength returned, hope returned, joy returned to this man. And so the Sabbath became exactly what God had intended from the beginning. What's God's intention for the Sabbath? It is a day of restoration. It is to be a day of healing. It is to be a day of blessing. It is to be a day of new connections with one another. A day of where broken lives can encounter the goodness of God. That's what this day means. That's what the Sabbath was envisioned from creation. And that is what is commanded for us to remember. And that is what the Lord of the Sabbath came to correct. Correct our understanding. Well, that brings us to our fourth and final C to consider in the story of the Sabbath. The final C as we begin to work to a conclusion here. The fourth and final C when considering the Sabbath is continuation. When you're thinking about the Sabbath, perhaps the fourth and final thing you might consider is the word continuation. Did you know that the prophet Isaiah was given a glimpse of the Sabbath that went well beyond the return of Jesus Christ and all the way into a new heavens and new earth? Did you know that? It's revealed to us in Isaiah 66, verse 22 and 23. Our final passage of Scripture, if you'd like to turn there, Isaiah 66, verses 22-23. Remarkably, we see that the Sabbath continues on into the time of the new heavens and the new earth. Look at this. Isaiah 66, verses 23-23. Here the prophet Isaiah proclaims here. Isaiah 66, verse 22.

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord. Let's stop there. Remarkable. So the Sabbath appears first at creation, and where God blessed it and set it apart, and now Christ has come to restore all things. And we see the Sabbath appear once again in new creation, when all flesh at this future time will gather to worship before their Lord, their Lord, their God. This reveals something so profound with regards to the Sabbath. It was never merely a temporary regulation. No. It's always been a part of the original design, and it was originally given and made to establish humanity's relationship with our Almighty God. From the very beginning, the Sabbath has been God's weekly invitation to his children to come to him, draw to him, and delight in our relationship with him. Its Sabbath points us to where we came from, and the Sabbath points to where we're going. You see. Forward, even to worship him in a world made new. This part of the story of the Sabbath, which has its continuation into the new heavens and the new earth. That's beautiful and remarkable.

So, as we conclude, today we contemplated the totality of the story of this day. We stood there in the Garden of Eden. We saw that God the Father, through Jesus Christ, blessed and set this day apart. We stood at Mount Sinai, where we spoke in this loving fourth commandment to remember. We walked through the fields with Jesus and stood in the synagogues where the Lord of the Sabbath himself corrected our understanding to go deeper, to understand what is in the original intention of the Sabbath. And now we even saw this day continues into a time of a new heavens and new earth. And I believe that one day when we get to that time, we're going to see just how productive and how beautiful the weekly Sabbath was in preparing us for our eternal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. So would you respond to this weekly invitation? And perhaps all of us together as a church can commit in a deeper way to respond to this day in a greater way as each Sabbath comes. May we never forget and always remember, for this is the story of the Sabbath.