Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000067
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00:19 Hello, friends,
00:20 and welcome to another Wednesday Night Bible Study 00:22 here at 3ABN Worship Center. 00:25 Welcome to A Sharper Focus, where we are back on schedule. 00:29 If you've been watching 3ABN for the last 00:33 two or three weeks or almost four weeks, 00:34 Pastor Ron Halverson has been preaching 00:35 every Wednesday night, 00:37 and we've enjoyed it tremendously. 00:38 And so we're getting back on schedule tonight. 00:41 So I'm kind of like Philip, 00:43 the one that has been commissioned by the Lord 00:46 to be an evangelist. 00:47 And the Lord sent him into the wilderness, 00:49 and he found a lone Ethiopian. 00:51 So we're not great in numbers tonight, 00:53 but we know that you're tuning in, 00:54 and we praise the Lord for you. 00:57 We're still going to... 00:58 As a good cook, I'm still going to cook 01:00 as I normally would for 1,000 people. 01:02 That means I'm still going to share 01:04 the Word of God with the power and conviction 01:07 that the Holy Spirit calls for us to communicate. 01:10 So thank you for tuning in and joining us tonight. 01:13 Get your Bibles, invite your family and friends. 01:15 And maybe if you're joining us from a church, 01:18 just tell everybody, get together 01:19 because now we're going to be going to the Lord in prayer. 01:23 And then we're going to have our theme song, 01:25 and I'll tell you 01:27 how to get a copy of the lesson tonight, 01:28 so you can follow us along in our study. 01:32 But let's bow our heads as we invite the Lord 01:35 to begin with us, and invite His presence 01:38 through a word of prayer. 01:40 Heavenly Father, we thank You 01:42 that You are here tonight with us. 01:44 We thank You that Your Word is true on any given day, 01:49 or at all times. 01:50 And we pray that even this evening, Lord, 01:52 we'll open it and expect the power from on high to come 01:56 and fill our hearts as we study this Word together. 02:00 May the topic about the Sabbath become clear 02:02 to those who may not have understood it, 02:05 may have never thought about it 02:08 or maybe wandering their way through it, 02:10 wondering what relevance it has. 02:13 And so, Lord, lead us and guide us, 02:15 and may Your name be honored and glorified. 02:18 We pray in Jesus' name, amen. 02:21 Now if you'd like the copy of the lesson tonight, 02:23 go to this following website. 02:25 Don't put www, it's asf.3abn.org 02:30 and download lesson number 21, number 21. 02:35 Now we began with that lesson 02:37 on the Sabbath all about five weeks ago, 02:39 but as I mentioned 02:41 because of the It Is Written evangelistic series, 02:43 we were preempted, 02:45 and now we're getting back on track. 02:47 Hopefully you will have the full lesson that's there. 02:50 The original one just went to nine questions, 02:52 but we've updated that, 02:54 and if you have the one that's been updated, 02:56 you should have a 21 question lesson for tonight, 03:00 which is entitled "The Truth about the Sabbath." 03:04 How to know the truth about the truth? 03:06 But tonight, let's begin with our theme song, 03:08 which is "Victory in Jesus." 03:10 So by the way, 03:11 you could also download the lyrics from the website. 03:15 It's been put there. 03:16 Some people have asked what are the words for that? 03:19 About a month and a half ago, 03:20 we were doing an evangelistic series 03:22 in New York City, 03:23 and it just so happened that the theme song they chose 03:25 was the same as 03:27 what we're going to be singing tonight. 03:28 So let's all sing together that song, Victory in Jesus. 03:39 Okay, well, maybe not. 03:48 I heard an old, old story 03:51 How the Savior came from glory 03:55 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:59 To save a wretch like me 04:03 I heard about His groaning 04:07 Of His precious blood's atoning 04:10 Then I repented of my sin 04:14 And won the victory 04:18 O victory in Jesus 04:22 My Savior, forever 04:25 He sought me and bought me 04:29 With His redeeming blood 04:33 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:37 And all my love is due Him 04:41 He plunged me to victory 04:44 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:48 I heard about a mansion 04:52 He has built for me in glory 04:56 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:59 Beyond the crystal sea 05:03 About the angels singing 05:07 And the old redemption story 05:11 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 05:15 The song of victory Key change 05:18 O victory in Jesus 05:22 My Savior, forever 05:26 He sought me and bought me 05:30 With His redeeming blood 05:33 He loved me ere I knew Him 05:37 And all my love is due Him 05:41 He plunged me to victory 05:45 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:49 He plunged me to victory 05:52 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:59 Can we say amen? Amen. 06:02 You know, that's the truth of the fact 06:04 about the victory that we find in Jesus. 06:06 Lots of Christians think 06:08 that they must fight for the victory, 06:10 but the Bible says, "But thanks be to God, 06:13 who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 06:16 1 Corinthians 15:57, amen for that. 06:20 We don't have to fight for the victory. 06:21 If we join the winning side, we are on the side of victory. 06:26 And as the Lord said to the children of Israel, 06:28 "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." 06:31 When we submit ourselves to Christ, 06:33 day by day He fights our battles for us, 06:37 and that's what's good about giving our hearts to Christ. 06:40 Now tonight the topic is entitled, 06:42 "The Truth about the Sabbath." 06:43 What is it, friends? 06:46 Come on, you guys have more caffeine 06:47 than that in your systems. 06:49 I know you don't drink caffeine, 06:50 but let's say that again, the what? 06:52 "The Truth about the Sabbath." 06:54 I say caffeine 06:55 because that kind of gets you going, 06:57 but we don't drink caffeine for the record, 06:59 we are vegan vegetarians, and we wanted to stay healthy. 07:02 Amen? 07:04 However, what is so wonderful about this topic, 07:07 "The Truth about the Sabbath" 07:10 is the truth about the Sabbath is really not told. 07:13 There are many that believe that Sunday is a holy day. 07:18 Some people have been taught that the Sabbath 07:21 was nailed to the cross. 07:23 Some individuals believe that it's only Old Testament, 07:26 no longer relevant for New Testament Christians. 07:29 And so lots of things that are told about the Sabbath 07:32 are not really true, that's why we entitled it, 07:34 "The Truth about the Sabbath." 07:36 What I'd like to do tonight 07:38 is begin by going to the Book of Genesis Chapter 2, 07:42 Genesis Chapter 2. 07:44 We're going to look at a story in the Bible 07:49 about the end of creation week. 07:51 And many of you might know that... 07:54 Well, let me ask our audience here. 07:56 How many days did the Lord used to create the world? 08:00 How many days? Six. 08:02 How many days are there in a week? 08:04 Seven. 08:05 Okay, so if the Lord used six days 08:08 and the week has seven days, 08:11 there's got to be a reason why there's an extra day. 08:13 And by the way if you look at the cycles 08:18 that we live by every day, 08:20 for example there are 365 days in a year 08:25 or as many people say 364 days and 53 seconds, 08:29 whatever that may be, 08:31 but we have a leap year to make up for the time 08:35 that's not particularly accurate. 08:37 My point is this, 08:39 if you look at the cycle of the sun, the moon, stars, 08:44 you can find in the heavens a 24 hour period, 08:47 23 hours and 56 seconds, I'm told. 08:51 You can also find the 365 day year, 08:55 you can also find the full, the half, the three quarter, 09:00 and back to the full moon. 09:02 You can also find that there are cycles a month. 09:06 We have how many months in a year? 09:07 Twelve. 09:09 How many seasons do we have? 09:11 Except if you live in Florida. 09:14 But you cannot find in the sun, 09:16 the moon or the stars a seven day week. 09:20 The only place documented for a seven day week is where? 09:25 Say it again. 09:26 The Bible. 09:28 So therefore, if you live on this planet, 09:30 and you honor a seven day week, 09:33 the only place that you can find a seven day week 09:36 is in the Word of God. 09:38 Can we say amen to that? 09:39 Now that shows that 09:42 the Bible is valid, and it impacts all of humanity. 09:47 But the most significant event about the reason 09:49 why it does impact all of humanity 09:51 is found in the story of creation. 09:54 Now let's go to Genesis Chapter 2, all right. 09:57 And by the way, Genesis 1:31 10:01 is where we're going to peek first. 10:03 Genesis 1:31 10:06 is where we're going to peek first. 10:07 The reason why we're gonna look at that verse 10:09 is we're going to transition, 10:10 and we're going to discover some very important things 10:12 about the order of the days. 10:13 All right, verse 31, 10:16 this is at the end of creation week 10:17 in Genesis Chapter 1. 10:20 "Then God saw everything that He had made, 10:23 and indeed it was," what are those next two words? 10:27 "Very good." 10:29 So the evening and the morning were the sixth day, 10:34 the sixth day. 10:35 That means when the Lord finished creation, 10:38 He looked around. 10:39 And if you look at the rest of the Book of Genesis, 10:41 it ended, 10:43 the evening and the morning was the first day, 10:44 the evening and the morning was the second day, 10:46 the evening and the morning were the third day. 10:48 So let's look at the cycle very quickly. 10:50 What comes first, morning or evening? 10:53 Evening, according to the Bible, 10:55 its first dark, and then it is light. 10:57 Today in our society, we go by the watch, 11:00 or the clock, or digital devices. 11:03 But in fact, according to the Bible, 11:06 the day begins at the dark part, 11:08 and then goes into the light. 11:11 If you look at the Bible timing, 11:13 when the sun set, the day end, and then another day begins. 11:18 So if the sun sets at 6 pm in the evening, 11:22 and the sun rises at 6 am in the morning, 11:25 what is between 6 pm and 6 am right in the center? 11:29 Someone tell me? Midnight. 11:32 What is it called? Again say that word. 11:34 Mid, mid night, which means the night already started, 11:39 we're in the middle of it. 11:40 So when we hit 12 o'clock at night, 11:42 it's not the beginning of another day, 11:44 it is mid night. 11:47 But in America or all around the world, 11:50 we always count down when New Year's Eve comes, 11:53 and we're already middle of the night, we say at 11:59, 11:57 in the middle of the night, 11:59 we think the new day's about the begin, 12:01 it's already six hours old or whatever the sun has set. 12:05 And the reason why I mentioned that is 12:07 because much of the Bible is misunderstood 12:11 when you miss that very important point. 12:14 You miss how many days 12:16 there are really in the resurrection of Christ, 12:18 you miss when He went to tomb 12:19 and when He rose again 12:20 because of that very important fact. 12:22 So let's go ahead and look at that again. 12:24 The evening and the morning were the sixth day. 12:28 Now that His creation had been done, 12:31 but God did something else, He added one more day. 12:34 Now, here's the point I want to make. 12:38 Everything that God made on the first six days 12:41 had a physical dimension, height, width, and depth, 12:45 also had mass weight, it weighed something. 12:49 The oceans were wide, deep, high, mountains were high, 12:53 the trees all had physical dimensions. 12:55 So everything that had physical dimension, 12:57 everything that you could see was created from the first day 13:00 to the what day? 13:02 To the sixth day. 13:03 So why add another one? 13:05 Look at the reason why. 13:07 And keep this in mind. 13:09 When God did 13:11 what I'm about to share with you, 13:13 there was no sin. 13:15 So therefore there was nothing wrong 13:17 with what God is about to do. 13:19 There was no sin connected to it. 13:21 Let's look at Genesis 2:1. 13:24 The Bible says, 13:25 "Thus the heavens and the earth, 13:27 and all the host of them were," the next word, 13:32 "finished, and on the seventh day 13:34 God ended His work which He had done, 13:38 and He rested on the seventh day 13:42 from all His work which He had done. 13:45 Then, God," what's the next word? 13:47 "Blessed the seventh day," and what else? 13:50 "Sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work 13:55 which God had created and made." 13:58 Now when you look at the Genesis record. 14:00 If you are a Christian, you believe in creation, 14:02 we all believe in creation. 14:04 All Christians believe in creation. 14:06 At least, last I check, 14:08 all Christians believed in creation. 14:11 So we believe in a valid seven day week. 14:15 We also believe that on that seventh day, 14:17 God made nothing with physical dimensions. 14:19 But if you're reading the text very carefully, 14:22 He ended the work, He rested, He blessed, 14:25 and He sanctified the seventh day. 14:28 When you bless something, and you sanctify it, 14:31 what has just happened? 14:32 It's been made, what? 14:34 It's been made holy. 14:35 So here's why the seventh day was added. 14:37 God blessed what day? 14:41 Talk to me, what day? 14:43 The seventh day. 14:44 Did He bless the second? No. 14:46 Did He bless the fourth? No. 14:48 Is He God of all those days? Yes. 14:50 He's the God of all creation. 14:52 He's God of the trees, the mountains and rocks, 14:54 He's the God of all of that, 14:56 but He did not bless any day but the seventh. 15:00 So now if that's the end of His work, 15:03 and in order for us to find any other day blessed, 15:08 we got to find out where God did it. 15:11 Do you follow what I'm saying? 15:13 He only blessed the seventh one. 15:15 So therefore if you go back to the Genesis record, 15:17 somewhere else beyond this chapter, 15:20 after Genesis 2:1-3, 15:22 in order for the Sabbath to no longer be relevant, 15:26 God has to delete that and bless a new day. 15:29 So according to what the Bible says, 15:33 the validity of the Sabbath 15:35 continued from that day until this 15:38 because God did not bless any other day, right? 15:43 Now let's go to our first question 15:45 for tonight, question number seven. 15:46 Since in the last time we went 15:48 from question number one to six, 15:49 look at question number seven. 15:51 Here it is. 15:53 To what special event does God connect the Sabbath? 15:58 To what special event does God connect the Sabbath? 16:03 All right, 16:04 let's go now to the book of Exodus Chapter 20, 16:07 Exodus Chapter 20. 16:09 To what special event does God connect the Sabbath? 16:13 This is really important. 16:15 Exodus Chapter 20, 16:19 Exodus Chapter 20. 16:21 And... 16:24 very, very important 16:26 because by the time the Lord introduced 16:28 to the children of Israel to the Sabbath, 16:30 by the time He reminded them of the Sabbath, 16:33 this is very important, 16:35 God didn't begin the Sabbath with Israel, 16:37 He reminded them of the Sabbath. 16:40 After being in bondage for 400 years, 16:42 And when they came out of the land of Egypt, 16:44 he reminded them of the Sabbath, 16:47 He didn't just begin the Sabbath, 16:49 very important point. 16:50 Okay, let's look at this. 16:52 To what special event does God connect the Sabbath? 16:54 Exodus 20:11 is on the screen, the Bible says, 16:57 "For in six days the Lord," did what? 17:00 "Made the heavens and the earth, the sea, 17:03 and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. 17:09 Therefore the Lord blessed," what? 17:11 "Sabbath day and," did what else? 17:14 "And He hallowed it." 17:15 Now when you read the text in Exodus 20:11, 17:18 notice what the Lord says. 17:19 He refers to the seventh day as the day He blessed. 17:23 He also refers to the seventh day 17:25 as the Sabbath day, very important point. 17:29 He doesn't call any other day the Sabbath day. 17:33 He doesn't call any other day a blessed day. 17:37 That's very important 17:39 because Christians today 17:40 that honor the first day of the week, 17:42 and they give all these different reasons, 17:44 and we'll talk about that at another time, 17:46 but the Lord never transferred 17:49 the solemnity of the seventh day 17:53 to any other day. 17:55 He never did it, and nobody else could do it. 17:59 And here's the only thing you need to be able to do 18:01 to be able to bless another day. 18:03 You need to be able to be a creator. 18:05 Can we say amen to that? 18:07 If you're not a creator, then you cannot bless anything. 18:12 And what God blesses is blessed forever. 18:16 A couple of other things God did in 18:18 before creation was done is God blessed the marriage. 18:24 A marriage is still blessed in the sight of God today. 18:27 Yes or no? 18:28 Of course, they are. 18:29 That was way back in the Garden of Eden. 18:31 Although they're trying to redefine marriage, 18:34 and now men and men are marrying, 18:35 and women and women. 18:36 You go back to the original record 18:38 in the Bible, 18:39 it was man, a man to a woman. 18:40 God blessed that institution. 18:42 Everything that God blessed, the devil has attacked, 18:46 so we're not really bewildered as to why 18:50 there's such an attack on the seventh day Sabbath. 18:54 And when you go back... 18:56 We're in Exodus 20:11, 18:58 but look at verse 8 just briefly. 19:01 Look at verse 8 19:02 in Exodus Chapter 20 very briefly. 19:04 I want you to notice something. 19:05 It's very significant that God began this commandment. 19:10 Now if you reading the King James Version, 19:11 all the other commandment says, 19:13 Thou shalt, thou shalt, thou shalt. 19:16 But this one in every translation 19:19 begins with what word? 19:20 Remember. 19:22 So if I said to somebody remember, 19:24 what am I saying? 19:25 Don't forget. 19:27 And we have a tendency to forget. 19:29 So God, what God did is God build a cadence. 19:33 You know what a cadence is? 19:34 A cadence is like, if you felt your heart, 19:37 if you don't have arrhythmia, or if you're not running, 19:39 or if you're not out of breath, 19:40 or if you don't have an illness, 19:42 there should be a cadence to your heartbeat. 19:44 That's if you're not exhausted. 19:45 The faster you run, the cadence increases. 19:49 Goes on. 19:50 But if you're sitting and you have a resting pulse, 19:51 you should be able to feel your heart, 19:54 and there's a cadence to it. 19:55 God built a cadence into the week. 19:58 So one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. 20:03 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. 20:07 One more time, one, two, three, four, five, six, what? 20:11 Seven. 20:13 It's a cadence, it doesn't change. 20:15 So if you go down to six, you say, I know what's next, 20:17 seven. 20:18 After seven, we go back to what? 20:20 One, it's a repetitive cadence. 20:22 Look at your calendar, the cadence is there. 20:26 The devil has done quite a bit to try to change God's cadence. 20:30 I remember working for 20:32 when I was a teenager in high school, 20:35 I worked for a company, I was a messenger. 20:39 I worked at the Old World Trade Centers 20:42 on the 21st floor. 20:44 And we worked with companies 20:46 that shipped packages on large, 20:51 what do you call those? 20:53 Not cruise ships, what do you call them. 20:55 Freighters, thank you very much. 20:57 That word just went out of my mind. 20:58 Freighter. 21:00 But whenever those packages wherever they left, 21:01 and they went back, 21:03 I had to go down to the docks in New Jersey periodically, 21:06 and deliver the bill of lading to these docks. 21:10 And when I was down there once, I got a calendar. 21:12 And what was to my surprise, 21:15 I have discovered that in Europe, 21:17 many of the calendars had been changed. 21:20 They call the maritime calendars. 21:23 They put Monday as the first day, 21:26 and they put Sunday as the seventh. 21:28 And I asked why did you do that? 21:30 And they said, 21:31 "Well, it fits better for business purposes. 21:35 It fits better for business purposes. 21:37 And many of you may buy software 21:39 like Microsoft Word 21:40 or you may download a calendar from the internet. 21:43 And some of the calendars you download, 21:45 they squish Saturday and Sunday on the last part of the week 21:50 because they say that's the end of the week, 21:51 and they put Monday at the very beginning. 21:53 Look at that very carefully because these are things 21:55 that subliminally communicate to people 21:59 that the days had been changed. 22:01 But the most reliable record is the Bible. 22:04 Can you say amen? 22:05 The most reliable record is the Bible, 22:07 and if you feel that the Bible has somehow 22:10 doesn't have enough support, get to your dictionary, 22:13 your Encyclopedia, your Britannica, 22:16 and if you're really confused, ask the entire nation of Jews. 22:21 What day is the Sabbath? We know that. 22:24 Ask the Ethiopians, 22:25 they are the only other nation outside of the Jews 22:27 that have been keeping the Sabbath the longest, 22:30 and you may wonder why. 22:31 Philip, when he met the Ethiopian eunuch 22:33 in the wilderness, he preached him Isaiah 53, 22:37 he got baptized and took the gospel to Ethiopia. 22:40 And in Ethiopia to this very day, 22:42 they call the Sabbath Qamis day. 22:45 That's the day of the child, Qami meaning the child, 22:50 Qamis day, the child, who? Jesus. 22:53 So this special connection that God did in six days, 22:58 made the heavens, He blessed the seventh day, 23:01 therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day. 23:03 This is where you find the seventh day, 23:05 and the Sabbath day connected. 23:08 Somebody may say in Genesis, it doesn't say that. 23:10 Well, the Lord connected the seventh day 23:12 and the Sabbath day in Exodus 20:11. 23:16 Let's go to question number eight. 23:17 I'll move a little faster. 23:19 Question number eight, question number eight. 23:23 What special prohibition 23:25 has gotten enjoined to the Sabbath? 23:28 Now, we're gonna go back to Exodus Chapter 16 23:30 for a very important point. 23:32 Exodus Chapter 16 shows us 23:36 what happened 23:37 before the Israelites got to Mount Sinai 23:41 because a lot of people think that the Sabbath started 23:45 from Mount Sinai forward, but that was not the case. 23:49 If you read the record of the Israelites in Egypt, 23:53 one of the reasons why Pharaoh was upset with the Israelites 23:57 is they rested on one day. 24:00 When Moses came to Israel, 24:02 when Moses came to the Israelites in Egypt, 24:05 he restored amongst them a day of rest. 24:08 And that so infuriated Pharaoh that he said to them, 24:11 that they now must make brick without straw. 24:15 The Bible says, 24:16 he gave them one day in seven to rest. 24:18 Well, the word there rest in the Hebrew is sabbayoth, 24:21 which is Sabbath. 24:23 Moses reminded them while they were in Egypt. 24:27 Get back to the Sabbath. Can you say amen to that? 24:30 So when they left Egypt, on their way to Canaan, 24:35 they stopped along the way. 24:37 And during the wilderness journey, 24:39 the Lord fed them every day. 24:42 But He said that 24:43 there's something He did not want them to do. 24:45 And let's look at the story. 24:47 I'll try to go through the story 24:48 very quickly, all right? 24:50 Let me just go ahead and give you some of the, 24:52 so I don't read the whole thing. 24:54 The Lord gave the children of Israel every day sustenance. 25:00 Notice what it says in 16:29 and 30, 25:03 I'll read the screen first. It says, "See! 25:05 For the Lord has given you the Sabbath, 25:07 therefore He gives you on," let me put it here, 25:10 "therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for, " 25:14 how many days? 25:15 "Two days, let every man remain in his place, 25:20 let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 25:24 So the people rested on the seventh day." 25:28 Now that's not the whole story. 25:30 Some of them rested on the seventh day. 25:33 But let me give you as, as Paul Harvey says now, 25:36 the rest of the story. 25:39 Let me go ahead and give you the context. 25:40 Every morning the Lord rained from heaven bread, 25:45 and it was all over the ground like frost. 25:48 It was called manna. 25:49 What was it called? Manna. 25:51 And so when the people went out to get their food, 25:54 they looked at it and said, "What is it?" 25:57 And they said, "Exactly." 26:01 What is it? Exactly. 26:03 Because manna means what is it. 26:07 God named it, what is it. 26:10 So when you say, "What is it?" 26:11 Exactly, it's manna. 26:14 But if they waited too long, it evaporated, it dried up. 26:19 There was none at noon. 26:21 But the Lord says, 26:22 make sure when you go out there, 26:23 every day only take one portion, 26:25 and don't keep any overnight. 26:27 Because if you do, it's going to get worms, 26:30 it's going to smell. 26:31 And when people walk past your tent, they'll say, 26:33 "Oh, they got extra manna in there." 26:36 However, when Friday came, when the sixth day arrived, 26:42 notice what the Lord said, okay? 26:45 Uh, let's look at verse... 26:52 Let's look at verse 22. Let's look at verse 22. 26:59 Verse 21, verse 21. 27:01 "So they gathered it every morning, 27:03 every man according to his need, 27:05 and when the sun became hot," what happened? 27:08 "It melted. 27:09 And so it was on the sixth day 27:12 that they gathered twice as much bread, 27:15 two omers for each one, 27:18 and all the rulers of the congregation 27:20 came and told Moses. 27:22 Then he said to them, 27:24 'This is what the Lord had said, 27:27 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.' 27:32 Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil, 27:37 and lay it up for yourselves 27:39 all that remains to keep until morning. 27:42 So they laid," verse 24, 27:44 "they laid it up till morning as Moses commanded, 27:47 and it did not stink 27:49 nor were there any worms in it.' " 27:52 Now let me stop and say what's happening here. 27:55 Notice what the Lord is doing to show 27:57 how much He honored the sanctity 28:00 and the blessing of the holy Sabbath. 28:02 He said, I'm going to bless your provision 28:04 on the sixth day, so when the seventh day come, 28:07 you don't have to go out looking for bread. 28:10 Now, another word for money today we call bread. 28:13 Remember that term? 28:15 People say, how much bread do you have? 28:16 How much bread? 28:17 Well, let me see how much bread I had. 28:19 I got a 10, 15, a $25, that's how much I got. 28:24 We used to use that term in New York. 28:25 You got any bread? I need to borrow some bread. 28:27 We didn't mean physical bread, we meant money. 28:30 In the very same way 28:31 the Lord gave them bread to eat. 28:33 So those who took 28:36 what they should have on the sixth day, 28:37 it lasted. 28:39 But if you try to take twice as much 28:41 from the first to the sixth, 28:42 from the first to the fifth day, 28:44 what happened? 28:46 It rotted. What happened? 28:48 There was some... 28:49 And when the Sabbath came, they went out. 28:53 Now let's look at verse 26. 28:57 "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, " 29:01 which is the Sabbath, "there will be," how much? 29:04 "None." 29:05 Now what happened 29:07 that some of the people went out 29:09 on the seventh day to gather, 29:11 but they found none. 29:12 Those who ate a whole lot said, 29:16 "We don't have enough, let's go get some more." 29:19 And notice what the Lord said. 29:22 I think I'm going to jump ahead of myself if I don't do this. 29:25 Yeah, I'm going to jump ahead of myself. 29:27 Let's go ahead and go to the very next question. 29:29 So this is where the answer comes, all right? 29:33 What did God say, question number nine, 29:36 when the people looked for food on the Sabbath? 29:40 What did God say? 29:42 Here's the answer, verse 28. 29:45 "And the Lord said to Moses, 29:47 'How long do you refuse to keep My," what? 29:52 "My commandments, and My laws?' " 29:55 Now this text is huge 29:58 because now this is what the Lord did. 30:01 Not only did He attached the Sabbath 30:03 to the seventh day in Exodus Chapter 20, 30:06 tying us back to creation, 30:08 but now He tied the Sabbath to the commandments. 30:14 This is really important. 30:17 Creation, boom, God blessed the seventh day, 30:20 and then He wrote the commandments 30:22 on tablets of stone, 30:24 which we're going to get to, and He said, 30:26 the seventh day is the Sabbath, the last day of creation week. 30:29 Now, when they went out and looked on the Sabbath 30:33 for food and there was none, the Lord said, 30:35 "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments 30:39 and My laws?" 30:40 So now God connects the Sabbath to the commandments 30:44 and get this before they got to Sinai. 30:47 They didn't get there yet. 30:48 Sinai was still a journey ahead of them. 30:51 So before they got to Mount Sinai, 30:53 before He wrote 30:54 The Ten Commandments on tablets of stone, 30:56 He connected the Sabbath to the commandments. 30:59 Now here's a very important point. 31:02 If God connected the Sabbath to the commandments 31:05 before they got to Sinai, this says the Sabbath 31:09 and the commandments existed before Sinai. 31:16 Do we have any evidence that the commandments 31:18 existed before Sinai? 31:20 Some people say, no. 31:21 Oh, don't be too quick. 31:23 Genesis Chapter 26, let's go to Genesis, 31:29 and let's visit a man 31:30 that many of you know very well. 31:38 Okay, Genesis 26:4 and 5. 31:43 "Remember, you got to keep in mind, 31:45 keep this text in mind because the Lord says to Moses, 31:48 "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?" 31:52 "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?" 31:55 I want to ask our production team, 31:57 just put that text back up on the screen again, 31:59 the one we just saw, and I want to read that, 32:01 so that those who are viewing the program can see it 32:03 as we transition. 32:04 Here it is. Exodus 16:20. 32:06 Notice what the Bible says, how long, 32:09 "And the Lord said to Moses, 32:10 'How long do you refuse 32:12 to keep My commandments and My laws?' " 32:14 Remember that. 32:16 Okay, thank you very much. 32:17 Now, we're going to look at a man 32:19 by the name of Abraham. 32:20 Now we know, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. 32:25 Jacob had 12 sons. 32:27 Jacob, when he wrestled with the Lord, 32:29 his name became Israel. 32:31 His sons was the beginning of the nation of Israel. 32:35 Then they got into bondage for 400 years. 32:40 So long before the nation of Israel 32:43 was even born, 32:45 notice what God says to Abraham, 32:48 verse 4 of Genesis Chapter 26, 32:50 "And I will make your descendants 32:53 multiply as the stars of heaven." 32:57 I will give you descendants... 33:01 "I will give to your descendants 33:03 all these lands, and in your seed 33:07 all the nations of the earth shall be, " what? 33:11 "Blessed." 33:12 Here's the reason why. 33:14 Verse 5, 33:16 "Because Abraham obeyed My voice, 33:19 kept My charge." 33:21 Come on, say the rest with me, "My commandments, My statutes, 33:26 and My laws." 33:28 So long before Israel was even born, 33:32 God said Abraham was a commandment keeper. 33:36 So if God connected, once again, 33:38 if God connects the Sabbath to the commandments, 33:42 which it is in fact the fourth commandment, 33:44 and Abraham kept the commandments, 33:47 let's go and add a few more. 33:49 Was it wrong to kill before Mount Sinai? 33:52 Come on, tell me, yes or no? 33:54 Was it wrong to kill before Mount Sinai? 33:56 Yes. 33:57 Okay, was it wrong to lie before Mount Sinai? 34:01 Yes. 34:02 Was it wrong to commit adultery before Mount Sinai? 34:06 Was it wrong to covet 34:09 what your neighbor had before Mount Sinai? 34:12 Was it wrong to take God's name in vain before Mount Sinai? 34:15 Was it wrong to bow down and worship idols 34:17 before Mount Sinai? 34:20 Do you know something, 34:22 outside of The Ten Commandments, 34:26 the Bible doesn't talk about covetousness in Genesis. 34:31 Many of the commandments, matter of fact, 34:35 none of the commandments are as old as the Sabbath. 34:39 The Sabbath was the first commandment mentioned. 34:44 Genesis Chapter 2, the Sabbath was instituted, 34:47 it was put right there. 34:49 Now you know why? 34:51 Let me tell you why? This is huge. 34:52 You know why the Sabbath was the first commandment 34:54 to be mentioned? 34:57 This is huge. 34:59 There was no need for any other because there was no sin. 35:03 Come on somebody say amen. 35:05 This is a deep thought. 35:07 Because when the Sabbath was blessed, 35:09 there was no murder yet, nobody committed adultery yet, 35:13 nobody killed, there were no false gods to bow down 35:17 and worship, there were no neighbors, 35:20 Adam and Eve, just Adam and Eve, 35:22 they had no neighbors, nobody to covet anything from. 35:26 There were no honoring of father and mother 35:28 because Adam and Eve didn't have any children yet. 35:31 It was a perfect setting. 35:33 And get this, 35:34 if there was never any entrance of sin, 35:39 the other nine commandments would not even be needed. 35:41 The only one that would be 35:43 existing still today is the Sabbath. 35:45 Come on and say amen. 35:46 Ain't that deep? 35:47 So when sin entered the world, 35:50 God added nine more. 35:55 He added nine more to the Decalogue 35:58 because there was no need for man 36:00 to look at something and say, 36:02 "You cannot do this," when I didn't do it. 36:05 There was no need to remind me of what not to do 36:09 when I didn't do it. 36:13 When sin entered, 36:16 then God reminded man of His law. 36:19 And by the way, 36:20 I want to make a very important point. 36:22 So somebody may ask the question, 36:24 "Well, did God just come up with the commandments 36:27 after man sinned?" 36:28 No, if you read the Bible, 36:30 the commandments 36:32 are a part of the government of God. 36:34 He is the governor of the universe. 36:39 So law and order is in God's government. 36:43 And our world is not the only world. 36:49 When God created the earth, 36:51 the only commandment that was spoken of 36:56 in Exodus, in Genesis Chapter 2 was the Sabbath. 37:02 Now, what do you think the next one was? 37:08 He reminded Adam and Eve of the danger 37:11 that was lurking. 37:12 He said, "In the day 37:14 that you eat of the tree 37:15 of the knowledge of good and evil, 37:17 you shall surely," what? 37:19 "Die." 37:20 So there He was saying, 37:21 "Be careful because someday it's going to change 37:23 if you disobey." 37:24 And as we all know the story, 37:26 Eve was deceived, 37:28 Adam went in too with his eyes wide open, 37:30 and here we are, 37:31 "All have sinned 37:33 and fall short of the glory of God." 37:34 So now let me go back to the original context, 37:36 this is very powerful. 37:38 Lord gave me this, it's not in the notes. 37:41 When there is no more in heaven... 37:43 In the new earth, there's no law going to be, 37:47 don't kill if you need to, 37:48 don't lie, Angela, don't steal, don't. 37:51 There's no law going to be that, 37:53 you know why? 37:54 Because there'll be no more sin. 37:55 Can you say amen? 37:57 But what will continue to exist is the reminder 38:02 that from creation, 38:04 from Eden lost to Eden restored, 38:08 there'll be an unbroken line of the Sabbath. 38:10 Amen for that. 38:12 That's how important this commandment topic is. 38:15 It's not just about another day, 38:16 it's about a continuous relationship 38:18 and recognition 38:19 that God is not only our Creator. 38:21 As we did in the other lesson, 38:23 and I know you downloaded a copy, 38:24 I would remind you to go 38:26 to question three in your own time, 38:28 and you see the Sabbath as a sign between us and God 38:31 that we know that He's the one that sanctifies us, all right? 38:36 So here it is for question number, 38:39 I think it was number nine. 38:41 We just did that. 38:42 What did God say 38:44 when the people look for food on the Sabbath? 38:45 How long are you going to refuse 38:47 to keep My commandments? 38:48 That's what He said. 38:50 You are breaking My commandments. 38:52 And keep this in mind a point I made 38:54 that may have been lost in the exchange, 38:56 they didn't get to Sinai yet. 39:00 And He's saying the Sabbath 39:01 and the commandments are connected. 39:03 Okay, question number 10. 39:05 Question number 10. 39:06 Was the Sabbath only observed in Old Testament times? 39:12 Was the Sabbath only observed in Old Testament times? 39:17 Let's look at the best example. 39:19 Luke 4:16, Luke 4:16. 39:24 I'm so encouraged. 39:25 I got an email from people in Greece, 39:27 we periodically get emails, 39:29 and we know that the world is watching, 39:30 amen if you're joining us from Greece or Australia. 39:33 We go down to the islands, and people say, 39:35 "Oh, I tune in every Wednesday night 39:37 for A Sharper Focus. 39:39 Praise the Lord. 39:40 So there's a world audience out there, 39:42 and many people are looking for the truth of God, 39:45 and this is the place to find it in God's Word. 39:48 Look at the example, Luke 4:16, 39:51 and we're going to find out about... 39:53 I know who this guy is, 39:55 He's my Lord and my Savior. 39:57 What example can we find better 40:00 to the answer of this question than Jesus. 40:04 Look at Luke 4:16, the Bible says, 40:06 "So He came to Nazareth, 40:09 where He had been," what? 40:11 "Brought up. 40:12 And as His custom was, 40:15 He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day 40:19 and stood up to," do what? 40:21 "To read." 40:22 He stood up, and He read. 40:23 He read Isaiah. 40:26 He read the very text 40:27 that we often read in Isaiah Chapter 60 and 61, 40:30 He talked about the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 40:32 He has anointed Me. 40:34 And when He read it that day, the Jews, 40:37 the religious leaders were there 40:38 and they thought, 40:40 "How could this young man be saying, 40:41 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 40:44 for He had anointed Me.'" 40:46 They're saying, "Who is this guy?" 40:47 Jesus was announcing His Messiahship 40:51 when He stood up on the Sabbath to read. 40:54 So the answer to the question, 40:55 was the Sabbath only observed in the Old Testament? 40:58 Let's give a single answer. 40:59 What's the answer? 41:00 No. Put down the word no. 41:02 And you can put next to it, Jesus. 41:04 And notice it didn't say He kept one Sabbath, 41:06 it says, "As His custom was." 41:10 Now the question we have to ask ourselves is, 41:14 was Jesus a trendy guy 41:16 or was Jesus doing what was right? 41:19 Which one was He? 41:21 He was doing what was right. 41:22 You'll never... 41:24 This is where... 41:25 I like to go this direction sometimes. 41:27 And if you ever have a question about what you should do, 41:32 do what Jesus did. 41:35 You'll never go wrong 41:36 if you do what Jesus did. 41:39 Years ago, there was a little acronym WWJD, 41:42 what would Jesus do? 41:44 I like to change it, W, what did Jesus do? 41:48 WDJD, what did Jesus do? 41:53 Jesus kept the Sabbath, and it was His custom. 41:56 So every week He stayed in line with the cadence. 41:59 You know why He stayed in line with the cadence? 42:02 Very simple, He created the cadence. 42:05 He stayed in line with what He created. 42:07 He created something, He stayed in line with it. 42:10 And, friends, you have to keep in mind, 42:11 as Christians, 42:13 we should never get upset 42:15 by following the example of Jesus. 42:19 If you are a follower of Christ, 42:21 you'll do what Christ did, and Christ kept the Sabbath. 42:27 All right, let's look at question number 11. 42:31 In what way did Jesus 42:32 acknowledge the existence of the Sabbath? 42:37 Let's go to Matthew Chapter 12. 42:39 I was reading, I did a lot of research, 42:42 and I'll tell you, 42:44 when I'm finally done this book, 42:47 you cannot rush. 42:48 And let me just say this to the viewing audience. 42:51 I know many of you have sent emails, 42:53 when will we get the book, Sunday Mask? 42:57 You cannot rush that book. 43:00 If you... When you get it, 43:02 you'll understand the research that's gone into it. 43:03 You cannot rush a book 43:05 that's going to be out there till Jesus comes, 43:08 because it's going to be scrutinized, and criticized, 43:11 and people going to follow every reference. 43:13 I got to make sure I dot every I, and cross every T 43:16 and by the time it gets out there, 43:18 and from the most esoteric theologian, 43:23 if he puts it in front of him, I got to make sure it is solid, 43:27 so that the Word of God and the glory of God 43:30 is not blamed falsely 43:32 for something that we have been producing. 43:34 So be patient, be patient. 43:37 Because I can't say, "Oh, I forgot that, 43:39 oh, I didn't remember, oh, it was a mistake." 43:41 You cannot do that. 43:42 The Bible says we have to rightly divide 43:45 the word of truth. 43:47 And I like the way that Paul says it 43:48 that the workman needeth not to be ashamed. 43:52 So when it comes out, I'm not going to be ashamed, 43:54 I'm making sure that it is in harmony with God's Word. 43:56 Praise the Lord for that. 43:58 Now let's go to answer the question. 43:59 The reason why I mentioned that 44:00 is because there are some individuals 44:02 that say, "Well, you know, 44:04 we shouldn't keep the Sabbath 44:06 because of what the Jews did to it." 44:11 And what they mean by that 44:13 is the Jews had so polluted the Sabbath 44:17 that they made the Sabbath a burden. 44:20 They made laws, upon laws, upon laws 44:23 that were not a part of the Ten Commandments, 44:26 so they could violate 44:28 whatever law they wanted to, 44:29 kind of like our government to be frank about it. 44:33 We make laws, and we break them, 44:35 but we just make the laws for the people. 44:38 And when it doesn't fit us, we change it, 44:41 so it only fits them. 44:42 Well, the Pharisees and the scribes did that. 44:44 They made laws, they made the Sabbath a burden. 44:47 And I read one of the churches, 44:49 I won't mention with the church right now, 44:50 you see it in the book, one of these churches, 44:53 they observed Sunday, they said, 44:54 "We should not honor the Sabbath 44:56 because the Jews polluted it." 44:58 And I think to myself, "Polluted it?" 45:03 Should I not drive because of car accidents? 45:08 I mean, do you get my point? 45:10 It doesn't make sense. 45:12 Because somebody use something for a wrong reason, 45:15 or for a wrong thing, 45:16 or somebody did something wrong to it, 45:18 it should not make me 45:22 turn away from that which is right. 45:25 Like... Okay, beautiful. 45:27 Thank you, Vanita. Like marriage. 45:28 Look what's happening in the marriage nowadays? 45:30 Should we stop performing weddings 45:32 between a man and a woman? 45:33 What's the answer? No. 45:35 It's still blessed, man and woman in sight of God. 45:38 So this is an example in the Bible. 45:41 But the Pharisees had a hard time with Jesus, 45:44 and what He did on the Sabbath day. 45:46 Now verse 11 and 12 is where the story picks up. 45:49 But I'm going to go ahead and read a little earlier, 45:53 all right? 45:54 Verse 9, just to get into the story. 45:57 "Now when He had departed from there," 46:00 that is Jesus. 46:02 And by the way, this whole Sabbath is... 46:03 This whole chapter, 46:06 many examples are controversies over the Sabbath. 46:10 It says in verse 9, 46:11 "Now when He had departed from there, 46:13 He went into their synagogue. 46:16 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. 46:21 And they asked him saying, 46:23 "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" 46:26 And notice why they asked the question. 46:28 The Bible says that they might do what? 46:30 Accuse Jesus. 46:32 They want to accuse Him. 46:33 Then He said to them, 46:35 "What man is there among you 46:37 who has one sheep, 46:39 and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, 46:42 will not lay hold of it and lift it out?" 46:46 See, no, this is just here, 46:48 I'm going to bring it up in just a moment here. 46:50 Okay, yeah, matter of fact, yes, it is on the screen, 46:52 sorry about that. 46:53 Then he said to them, here's the answer, 46:56 "What man is there among you who has one sheep, 47:00 and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, 47:02 will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 47:05 Oh, how much more value then is a man than a sheep?" 47:11 Let's read the last part together. 47:12 "Therefore it is" what? 47:14 "Lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 47:20 It's lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 47:22 I listened in horror to a television program, 47:25 I was watching a religious program. 47:27 And the Sabbath question came into this group of pastors, 47:31 and a pastor responded by saying, 47:34 "Well, if we kept the Sabbath," this person said, 47:37 and by the way it was a female pastor. 47:39 She said, "If we kept the Sabbath, 47:43 if we live according to the commandments, 47:47 we'll be breaking the Sabbath when we preach 47:50 'cause that's the day we work." 47:52 And I thought, 47:53 have I ever heard something so distorted 47:56 that by preaching, you're violating the Sabbath. 47:59 What a distorted discombobulated approach 48:02 to the violation of the Sabbath. 48:04 She says, "If we..." 48:06 Because, you know, she said in... 48:07 Because this is the most... 48:09 This is the busiest day for pastors, 48:10 it's the busiest day for me as a pastor. 48:11 Saturday, Sabbath is the busiest day for me, 48:14 but it's not a violation. 48:15 Worship, and praise, and honor, 48:17 and fellowship is not a violation of the Sabbath. 48:19 What do you say? 48:23 Jesus did it? 48:24 If you look at all the examples of His life, 48:26 He not only healed the withered hand, 48:28 He restored sight. 48:30 Oh, He did so many things on that day. 48:32 A lady, a woman who had been bleeding for 18 years, 48:35 He healed on the Sabbath day. 48:37 And the Pharisees had a hard time, 48:38 a man who was a bit lame, 48:40 He restored his legs, 48:41 and He ran into the synagogue jumping and shouting, 48:43 and they said, "Not on the Sabbath, 48:45 you do not praise God on the Sabbath." 48:49 What a violation? 48:51 Today, we have these distorted theologians 48:54 who think that, 48:55 "Well, since the Jews made it a burden, 48:57 we should avoid it all together." 48:59 Oh, no, we should restore the beauty of the Sabbath. 49:02 It was beautiful at the end of creation week, 49:04 it was beautiful for Christ, and His disciples, 49:06 and the apostles, 49:08 and it's going to be beautiful in heaven. 49:09 Why should it lose its beauty now? 49:14 So here's the answer to question number 11. 49:18 In what way did Jesus 49:19 acknowledge the existence of the Sabbath? 49:21 He said, "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 49:25 What does that mean, lawful? 49:28 If you got a neighbor, 49:30 if you have a person who has a burden... 49:33 Now the Sabbath is not a time to mow the lawn 49:37 when you could do it another day of the week, 49:39 the Sabbath is not a time to paint the house 49:42 when you could do it another day of the week. 49:43 Let me give you a wonderful example. 49:45 Here in Thompsonville, when we had some strong winds 49:47 go through about 120 miles an hour, 49:48 about three or four years ago, 49:50 trees were down everywhere, 49:52 roads were impassable, 49:54 what do you think 49:55 our gentleman did on the Sabbath? 49:56 They got their chainsaws out, 49:58 went out and they helped their neighbors, 50:00 clear the roads, cut those trees. 50:01 It's lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 50:04 There were people shut in, couldn't get water, 50:06 didn't have lights, it's lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 50:11 But if you can do something another day or two, 50:12 if there's somebody hungry, somebody needs help, 50:15 somebody is in dire straits, you don't wait, 50:18 "Well, you know, wait till the sunset, 50:20 and I'll bring you something to eat." 50:22 It's lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 50:24 In many places, the Lord 50:26 talks about lifting a person's burden 50:28 on the Sabbath. 50:30 So let's not get the Sabbath mixed up with something 50:32 that the Jews distorted it by. 50:36 It's really sad. 50:38 So let's go to question number 12, all right? 50:41 How did Jesus 50:43 teach that the Sabbath was not being abolished? 50:47 The reason I'm staying with Jesus 50:49 is because, man, 50:50 people could say to other people, 50:51 "Oh, that was just Paul, that was Barnabas, that was..." 50:53 No, let's use Jesus 50:55 for the best example, ain't that right? 50:58 Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. 51:00 You cannot say that we don't talk about Jesus. 51:03 Look at, how did Jesus teach us 51:05 that the Sabbath was not being abolished? 51:09 Now let me go ahead 51:10 before we go to this next question, 51:11 or next answer, 51:13 let me go and read Matthew 24:20, 51:14 and then I'll tell you the context of this. 51:16 Matthew 24:20, here it is. 51:18 And Jesus said, 51:19 "And pray that your flight may not be in, 51:23 " what? 51:24 "Winter or on the Sabbath." 51:26 Now what was He talking about? 51:28 If you look at Matthew Chapter 24, 51:29 it'll give you the context 51:31 because sometimes people will see that scripture 51:32 and they say, "What does that mean?" 51:34 Well, the destruction of Jerusalem 51:37 and the end of the world 51:39 was wrapped up in the discourse that Jesus shared 51:42 with His disciples and the multitude. 51:44 When the multitude left, 51:45 Jesus told His disciples specifically 51:48 what was going to happen. 51:49 And so He was saying to His disciples here. 51:52 When the destruction of Jerusalem comes, 51:55 pray that it doesn't happen on the Sabbath. 51:58 You know why? Where would they be? 52:00 Somebody tell me? 52:02 They would be worshiping on the Sabbath. 52:05 If they were a Jew, 52:06 they'd be worshipping in the synagogue. 52:07 But if they were Christians, 52:09 like the New Testament Christians, 52:10 they didn't all worshiped in synagogues, 52:12 they worshiped in many other places. 52:13 The synagogue specifically 52:15 was the meeting place for the Jews, 52:16 but not just the Jews, 52:17 you'll find in the New Testament, 52:19 get ahead of myself here, but it was, 52:21 the Sabbath was not just honored 52:22 by the Jews in the New Testament. 52:25 But He said, "Pray that 52:27 it doesn't happen on the Sabbath or in the winter." 52:28 Why in the winter? 52:30 If you have to run for your life 52:31 when destruction comes and it's winter, 52:33 like it is now, "Oh, terrible, tragic." 52:37 Or if it happens on the Sabbath day, 52:41 they could easily find you, 52:42 they'll know exactly where you are, 52:45 worshiping on the Sabbath day. 52:49 Now let me make the point. 52:51 How does this prove that 52:52 Jesus said the Sabbath 52:54 is not going to be abolished? 52:56 This prophecy was given by Jesus in the year 31 A.D. 53:00 Jerusalem was not destroyed 53:02 until after Jesus ascended to heaven, 53:04 39 years later in the year A.D. 70. 53:08 Now follow the point. 53:10 If Jesus was going to get rid of the Sabbath 53:13 at His crucifixion, 53:16 He would not be making reference to it 53:18 after He ascends to heaven. 53:21 He would not be saying, 53:24 "Look out when destruction comes, 53:26 hope it doesn't happen on the Sabbath," 53:28 if He was planning on getting rid of it 53:30 at His crucifixion. 53:32 The point is made clearly. 53:34 Jesus is making the statement 53:36 that even after I go back to heaven, 53:38 the Sabbath will still be honored. 53:40 So pray that when destruction comes, 53:42 39 years from now, 53:45 it won't happen on the Sabbath day. 53:47 What better evidence 53:48 can you find than the words of Jesus 53:50 over and over and over again. 53:52 Now let's look at another example. 53:55 Question number 13. 53:56 So the answer, 53:57 how did Jesus teach 53:59 that the Sabbath is not being abolished? 54:00 By the prophecy 54:02 of the destruction of Jerusalem, 54:03 and also the end of the world. 54:05 Okay, let's see how many more we can get before we're done. 54:07 Question number 13, 54:09 and we may have to put some off for next week. 54:11 But I think the teaching tonight was very important. 54:14 Number 13. 54:15 How does the Bible show 54:17 that the Sabbath was kept at the death of Jesus? 54:22 How does the Bible show that? 54:23 Quickly, let's go to the very next question. 54:28 I mean, let's go to... 54:30 Let's go to Luke 23:55-56. 54:38 Let's look at that. 54:39 I'm going to turn my Bible here. 54:41 Okay, verse 55 and 56, 54:45 and the Bible says, here it is. 54:52 And it says, "Then He took it down, 54:55 wrapped it in linen." 54:58 Well, let me read, "And the women 54:59 who came with Him from Galilee followed after, 55:05 and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 55:10 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. 55:15 And they rested on the Sabbath day 55:18 according to the commandments." 55:20 That's verse 55 and verse 56. 55:23 Okay, I didn't have it on our screen, 55:24 but it was on television, praise the Lord for that. 55:27 Notice what happened? 55:28 The women who had come with him, verse 55. 55:30 Now these were not women 55:32 that just were arbitrary followers, 55:33 but these women had... 55:35 They knew Christ, 55:36 they were followers of Christ. 55:40 So they knew, why did they rest. 55:42 And notice verse 56, it says, 55:44 "They return," that is to their homes, 55:46 and the reason why they prepared fragrant oils 55:49 is because that's how they embalmed the body. 55:51 So they were getting ready, 55:53 but they said, "We'll just do this, 55:54 and we have to rest, and then we'll go back 55:57 after the Sabbath and do this." 55:59 And notice what it says, 56:00 "And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." 56:04 Let me ask you, what commandment? 56:06 Let's look together. What commandment? 56:09 What commandment? The fourth. 56:11 So at the death of Jesus, 56:13 they rested according to the commandment. 56:16 So now here's a very important point. 56:18 If anyone would know, 56:20 if anyone would know that the Sabbath 56:22 is no longer relevant, 56:24 it would be those who followed Jesus. 56:28 What we're going to do at the next program, 56:29 we're not gonna do this tonight 56:31 because of the interest of time. 56:32 I want to make the point very, very clear. 56:34 So far Jesus kept the Sabbath, 56:36 Jesus said the Sabbath would continue to exist 56:39 even after He's ascended to heaven. 56:42 Jesus showed the relevance 56:43 of how important the Sabbath is. 56:44 It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 56:49 And then in the beginning of our lesson, 56:51 Mark 2:27 and 28, 56:53 the Bible says, 56:55 "That Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. 56:57 The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, 57:01 therefore the Lord, therefore the Son of Man 57:05 is Lord of the Sabbath." 57:08 Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. 57:11 So here's the point. 57:12 So far we have found that 57:14 what the Lord blessed at creation 57:15 is still blessed today. 57:17 Can you say amen? 57:19 And we'll discover in the next broadcast 57:22 that when the Bible uses the phrase the Lord's Day, 57:27 as many Christians today say, 57:29 "Well, we honor the first day of the week 57:31 as we believe it is the Lord's Day." 57:32 You'll discover that the Bible does not teach 57:35 that the first day of the week is the Lord's Day. 57:38 You'll see the scriptures and the reference. 57:40 But here's the point, my friends, 57:42 and we'll reiterate this over and over again. 57:44 If you love the Lord, you'll follow His example. 57:47 If you love the Lord, 57:49 His commandments won't be a burden to you. 57:51 If you use Him as your example, 57:52 you can never go wrong by walking as Jesus walked. 57:56 So study the Word of God, and if it doesn't make sense, 57:59 sooner or later 58:00 it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-01-28