Remember the Sabbath Day

God’s Memorial Day

In Christian communities around the world, there exists a significant lack of understanding and appreciation for the Sabbath—a day designated for rest and worship. This was apparent one Sunday morning, as my family and I, and a room full of other believers, listening to one of our pastors preach on the topic. He emphatically proclaimed that the sabbath day had been changed to Sunday the first day of the week, and was no longer relegated to the seventh day of the week. (On a sidenote, we could spend a day teaching on the days of the weeks and their origins. Maybe another time) 

The concept of the Sabbath, originating from the Old Testament and later reiterated in the New Testament, holds profound spiritual and practical significance for each one of our daily lives. However, its true essence and purpose often elude modern Christians, leading to a variety of misconceptions and missed opportunities for spiritual intimacy with God. And those few pastors preaching this biblical truth are a microcosm of what has always existed in the body of Christ, and the need for individual Christians to maintained well versed in the Scriptures in order to discern against truth and error or sin. In this video, we will delve into the importance of the Sabbath, common misunderstandings, and how we must reclaim its meaning in our lives today in light of eternal Sabbath that awaits every christian for eternity.

Genesis 2:1-2— 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

The SABBATH WAS MADE AT CREATION BY GOD!!

Exodus 20:11– 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

This is the reason for keeping the sabbath. The sabbath is the memorial of creation. God designed it, and through keeping it, man should forever remember God, as the true and living God, the creator of all things. On the perpetuity of the sabbath command, it states clearly six days are for work, but the seventh is a sabbath of the Lord. It is not man’s day, it is God‘s day. He claims it for his own. From the beginning of the world.

Gen. 2:3– 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

This is what God did after resting on the seventh day. By three distinct acts, then, was the sabbath made. God rested on it, He blessed it He sanctified it. “Sanctified” means to make sacred or holy to be consecrated, to set it apart.

Jesus Christ and the sabbath

John 1:3– 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Christ had every bit of His hand in creation and the establishment of the sabbath. Please read Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 1:2 

Christ was the active agent in creation. God rested on the seventh day from the work of creation; therefore, Christ must have rested on the seventh day with the FATHER. Consequently, it is Jesus’ rest day as well as the Father’s.

Mk. 2:27--- 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Christ said the sabbath was made for man, in this verse “man” means all of mankind. God instituted the sabbath to be a source of benefit and blessing to the human family. Jesus says the sabbath was made for man and the necessary inference is that from the beginning man knew the primary focus and uses of the day, and rested in receipt of the benefits which it was designed to impart. 

Christ is our sabbath rest, and all His blessings of our obedience to Him, we have been given access to from now through eternity.  Nowhere in scripture do we see that God ever repealed the sabbath. Even when Christ was on earth, the Messiah did nothing to minimize it or set it aside, or worse yet ignore it. He just freed it from the traces of subtle deception that was and is still being taught today to the people by the Scribes and Pharisees or Pastors and Priests, Christ gave Sabbath its true place of honor and understanding. 

The sabbath we can see, was binding in Eden and has been established and enforced since it’s very inception. The 4th commandment says “REMEMBER”, showing that the Sabbath already existed when God descended on Mount Sinai and wrote the law on tablets of stone. It’s almost blasphemous to say that this one commandment has been done away with and then admit that the other nine are still binding. The sabbath is the greatest memorial of the Creative power of God. We can with confidence state that God’s design in making and establishing the sabbath was so man might never forget him, who is the Creator of all things. 

Exodus 20:10-11– But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

God made the sabbath, and verse 10 says who Sabbath belongs to, so God is the only one that can change the actual day of a “seven day week” as we recognize it under the context of “chronological time”. The 7 day week with its sabbath is somewhat of a mystery to most people  believers because of our somewhat  naive belief of the creation of time versus timeless eternity. There are plenty of religious ideas and practices among all people and religions with varying degrees of adoption. But the sabbath can be directly attributed to the Lord as one of his commands. The only reason we exist is because of the Sabbath.   

Ezekiel 20:20–And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.

This is what it means to those who keep the sabbath. The beauty of the observance of the sabbath is that it connects us with the Living God and the origins of the human race and the beautiful creation story itself. The sabbath specifically becomes a sign by which believers in a historical revelation, are distinguished from those who have allowed the facts to fade from remembrance. For those who are alive currently, it has a prophetic significance, because the Millennium or the Kingdom Age of 1000 years is set as the 7000th year of history. (The age to come when Christ establishes His Kingdom on Earth, will last for 1000 years and that will be Sabbath… I digress, but I am a student of Bible prophecy, and love how prophecy is history written in advance)

Exodus 31:12-13—-And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

The observance of the Sabbath, becomes a characteristic of the memorial for the origins of our race and those who worship the God of creation known as Elohim, Jehovah, and Yahweh. Who then revealed Himself to man from the dawn of his existence, as the God of love, and then mercy and grace, in the person of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:1-2—1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

The Bible recognizes, but one weekly sabbath the day of all which God rested in the beginning, which was known by Israel at Sinai, was observed by Christ and his apostles, and is to be kept by the redeemed in the new Earth according to the book of Isaiah. 

Isaiah 66: 22-23—For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, Shall remain before me, saith the Lord, So shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that tfrom one new moon to another, And from one sabbath to another, uShall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

The term “Sabbath”, “Sabbaths”, and “Sabbath Days” occur 60 times in the New Testament, and in every case but one, is referred to as the seventh day. In Colossians 2:16-17, there is reference made to the annual sabbath connected with the three annual feasts observed by Israel before the first coming of Christ. The sacred name of the seventh day is sabbath. It’s almost silly to argue it in any other way. The Bible states in very concise terms: the 7th day is the “Sabbath of the Lord” day. The utterance is repeated in Exodus 16, 23, 31, 35; Leviticus 23, and Deuteronomy 5. 

• Colossians 2:16-17—Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

On this point alone, the plain teaching and literal understanding has been admitted throughout all ages. The first day of the week is mentioned, but 8 times in the New Testament 6 of which are found in the four Gospels, and refer to the day on which Christ arose from the dead. READ Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; the other two are in Acts 20:7; and 1 Corinthians 16:2, refer to the only religious meeting held on the first day of the week after the Ascension, and during the times of the apostles recorded in the New Testament, and to a systematic accounting, and laying by in store at home on that day for the poor Saints in Judea and Jerusalem. It should be evident that the sabbath of the New Testament is the same as the sabbath of the Old Testament, and that there is nothing in the New Testament setting aside the 7th day sabbath, and putting the first day of the week in its place. 

Rom. 14:12-13—12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. 

The Catholic Church has given the authority to the pope according to their accounts:

“the pope is of so great authority and power that he can, modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws…. The pope can modify divine law, since his power is not a man, but of God, and he acts as vice Regent of God upon earth..” —-Translated from Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca (Ready Library), “Papa,” article 2

It is also evident that this teaching from man, is the subtle but blatant deception of Satan, Institutionalized from the Catholic Church, and proclaimed for the entire global church throughout the world. In all things, religious or better yet spiritual, it is God to we are accountable. But when men make compulsory sabbath laws, they make men accountable to the ruling government for sabbath observance. (Watch and pray as this could be a tenet of the apostate global faith in the future)

So we have to ask when was this new first day sabbath enacted by the state? Constantine’s Sunday law of March 7 321 AD. It was first established as quoted, “On the vulnerable day of the sun, let the magistrates and people residing in cities, rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons, engaged in agriculture, may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens at another day is not so suitable for grains, sewing, or for vine planting; less by neglecting the proper moment for such operations, the bounty of heaven should be lost.” Codex Justinianus

SO WHATS THE DAILY APPLICATION?

Well I am glad that you asked…Despite its significance in the Holy Scripture, the observance of the Sabbath has become a point of contention and confusion in many Christian circles. Several misconceptions contribute to this misunderstanding on this topic, due to minimal studying of the scriptures, and preachers and teachers stating it’s no longer applicable under the New Covenant of grace. While the ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath may not apply in the same way, the principle of rest and worship remains relevant.

1. Sunday vs. Sabbath: Many Christians equate Sunday with the Sabbath, believing that attending church services fulfills the Sabbath requirement. However, the original Sabbath (Saturday) has been overlooked or replaced in favor of Sunday, the day of Christ's resurrection. (Again on a sidenote, we could spend a day discussing the human declaration of changing the recognized Sabbath, to a Lord’s Day on a different day of the week.)

2. Lack of Restful Practice: In our fast-paced, productivity-driven culture, rest is often viewed as unproductive or lazy. Consequently, the Sabbath—a day set apart for rest and spiritual rejuvenation—becomes neglected or filled with activities that don't promote true rest.

3. Consumerism and Busyness: The pressures of consumerism and busyness push against the idea of a day dedicated to rest and worship. Many find it difficult to disengage from work and worldly activities, perpetuating a cycle of restlessness and burnout.

This is the reason for keeping the sabbath. The sabbath is the memorial of creation. God designed it, and through keeping it, man should forever remember God, as the true and living God, the creator of all things. On the perpetuity of the sabbath command, it states clearly six days are for work, but the seventh is a sabbath of the Lord. It is not man’s day, it is God‘s day. He claims it for his own. From the beginning of the world.

Reclaiming the Sabbath

To rediscover the beauty and significance of the Sabbath, we can take intentional steps towards reclaiming this sacred practice:

1. Understanding the Purpose: Educating ourselves about the biblical foundation and spiritual significance of the Sabbath is crucial. It is not merely a day of idleness but a deliberate pause to refocus our hearts and minds on God…..Mark 2:27—-And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

2. Setting Aside Time: Dedicate a specific day or portion of the day to rest and worship. This could involve refraining from work, engaging in meaningful activities like prayer, meditation, or fellowship with other believers.

3. Cultivating a Rhythm of Rest: Incorporate regular periods of rest and renewal into daily, weekly, and yearly routines. Sabbath rest is not limited to one day but can be integrated into our entire lives.

4. Fellowship of the Body: Encourage the Body of Believers for their involvement and accountability in Sabbath observance. Gathering with fellow believers for worship and fellowship strengthens our commitment to honoring God's commandments.

5. Embracing Worship: Simplify your schedule and prioritize praise and worship time and fellowship with other believers in the posture of praise, over daily material pursuits. Embracing a lifestyle of worship fosters a deeper appreciation for rest in God.

In Conclusion beloved…

The Sabbath remains a vital aspect of Christian faith—a gift from God intended for our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. By observing the Sabbath in your heart and life, we can experience deeper intimacy with God, find rest for our weary souls, and cultivate a countercultural rhythm of life that reflects God's design for humanity.

Let us not allow the Sabbath to remain misunderstood or neglected in our Christian communities. Instead, may we embrace the restorative power of Sabbath observance, honoring God's commandment and experiencing the fullness of life He intends for us. In Jesus’ Name

Come Quickly, Perhaps Today!