Participants: Bill Santos
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201229
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00:02 >>Bill: According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the
00:04 great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. 00:09 He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such 00:13 frivolous activity. 00:18 Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on 00:21 the ground. 00:24 Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle, if you 00:28 can. 00:29 Tell us what the unstrung bows implies." 00:34 The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was 00:37 trying to make. 00:40 Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but 00:46 if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it." 00:51 People are also like that. 00:53 That's why we all need to take time to rest. 01:10 ANNOUNCER: It has stood the test of time. 01:13 God's book: the Bible, 01:17 still relevant in today's complex world. 01:21 It Is Written, 01:24 sharing the messages of hope around the world. 01:38 >>Bill: The Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day 01:48 and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. 01:54 The fourth commandment of God's unchangeable law requires the observance of 01:59 this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in 02:06 harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. 02:11 The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. 02:17 It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our 02:21 sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal 02:26 future in God's kingdom. 02:31 The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between 02:36 Him and His people. 02:39 Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, 02:45 is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts. 02:49 It happened one Sabbath morning. 02:53 Jesus as was His custom was worshipping together with the rest of the 02:59 believers in the synagogue. 03:01 In fact, Jesus was teaching this particular Sabbath. 03:05 Luke 6: 6 - 11 04:03 Can you imagine the scene? 04:06 A man who needed healing was caught between the two forces; the loving, 04:11 healing power of Jesus and the rules of proper Sabbath observance. 04:18 Jesus sensed full well what was at stake. 04:24 He knew the hearts of those Pharisees, and Jesus realized that healing that 04:29 man on the Sabbath would bring Him one step closer to His execution day. 04:37 Jesus did not back away; in fact, He heightened the drama in order to make a 04:42 point. 04:43 He said to the man "Get up and come forward! 04:46 " Then Jesus turned to those watching and asked them a question: 05:00 There was no answer. 05:02 Then Jesus, with Heaven's courage flashing from His eyes said to the man: 05:06 "Stretch out your hand! 05:09 " It was an electric moment, a showdown on that Sabbath, and the crowd 05:13 gasped when they saw that withered hand miraculously restored to perfect 05:18 health. 05:21 Some in the crowd however, did not gasp. 05:25 Instead they grumbled quietly among themselves - and went out the back door 05:30 to begin planning for a crucifixion. 05:33 What was going on here? 05:36 Why had this issue of the Sabbath and its observance become such a point of 05:43 contention? 05:44 How important is this anyway? 05:48 Does Jesus' view of the Sabbath hold any value for us here today 2000 years 05:52 later? 05:55 Let's Ask The Bible! 05:59 Come with me to the Garden of Eden; try to imagine the splendor and the glory 06:04 in that paradise. 06:07 God the Father and Jesus His Son have just put the finishing touches on the 06:11 creation of a brand-new world. 06:14 Everything is perfect, including the two beautiful human beings, 06:20 all wide-eyed in their fresh innocence, Adam and Eve our first parents. 06:27 We all know what was the first thing that Adam and Eve did, they celebrated 06:32 the world's first Sabbath together, we can read about it in Genesis 2: 2 - 06:37 3. 07:02 Let's make a list of the things God did on that first Sabbath: He rested 07:08 He blessed it He made it holy Now a question comes to mind - why did God 07:12 rest? 07:15 Even after six long and wonderful days of creating, was God tired? 07:23 Was Jesus burned out and exhausted looking for a couch to throw Himself on? 07:29 God set aside that seventh day as a time for His two created children to rest 07:36 and fellowship with Him? 07:39 So right at the beginning of the Bible we see the purpose of the Sabbath, 07:43 not for God's rest, but ours. 07:46 In fact, Jesus confirmed this point when questioned by the Pharisees. 07:50 These religious leaders had criticized Jesus' disciples for walking 07:55 through the grain fields and picking a little bit of grain to eat during the 07:58 Sabbath hours. 08:00 What did Jesus say in response? 08:02 Mark 2: 27 08:15 From the very first week of creation, God had in mind a day of delight and 08:20 spiritual refreshment for human men and women. 08:26 Do you know why the multitudes today fail to bow down before God alone, 08:32 to reverence only the creator - we don't have time! 08:35 We are too busy! 08:37 Most people don't avoid God because they are terribly evil or because 08:41 they have something against God. 08:44 Most just cannot seem to find the time. 08:47 We are meeting deadlines at the office, trying to get home through the 08:51 traffic, trying to remember what we were suppose to pick up at the 08:53 store, trying to deal with our children, trying to cram in a vacation. 08:57 We never stop! 09:00 Who has the time? 09:02 You know what that means for our spiritual lives? 09:06 That is why God carved a giant STOP sign in the rock of Mount Sinai! 09:14 Exodus 20: 8 - 11 09:55 The fourth commandment comes as the climax of the first three. 10:00 How do we have no other gods before Him? 10:03 How do we bow down to Him alone? 10:06 How do we reverence His name? 10:08 We have to give Him our time. 10:12 That is the one thing we keep holding back. 10:16 There's a verse in the Psalms that sums up the 4th commandment very 10:19 nicely, Psalm 46: 10 10:28 We can know God only in stillness. 10:32 We have to take the time to be still. 10:36 We can hear God only when we really listen, we have to take the time to 10:39 listen. 10:42 Moses told his people: "Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will 10:47 command concerning you" Job was told: "Stand still and consider the wondrous 10:51 works of God". 10:57 Now let's travel back once again to the time of Jesus, back to the site of 11:03 the original Jerusalem temple, had the Sabbath been forgotten? 11:07 No, quite the opposite. 11:10 In fact, the Sabbath was being so rigorously observed that people were 11:14 suffocating on it. 11:18 That sounds harsh, but that was in fact what was happening. 11:22 Take an ordinary handkerchief. 11:27 Carrying it with you during the Sabbath hours was a grievous violation 11:30 of the religious regulations of the day. 11:33 A tiny cloth was an unnecessary burden. 11:37 But it was all right to pin that same handkerchief to your clothes - within 11:44 reach of your nose, then it became part of your clothing, the rabbis would 11:48 say, not something extra. 11:51 It went on like that with regulations and rules and headings and subheadings 11:56 for every imaginable situation. 12:00 None of these regulations were found in God's Word, they had been created out 12:04 of centuries of human tradition. 12:09 Let me ask you a question; Who stands to gain if the Sabbath is destroyed or 12:15 changed? 12:18 Who would be the power behind such a move? 12:23 Who stands to gain when God's beautiful Sabbath rest is buried under a 12:28 choking tangle of confusing and arbitrary regulations? 12:34 Can't you just visualize Satan quietly working behind the scenes to 12:38 destroy the Sabbath from within? 12:42 Throwing a heavy blanket of rules over the original concept of happy, 12:46 life-restoring fellowship with God? 12:51 Probably the most powerful lesson we can learn about the Sabbath is to be 12:56 discovered in the hills near the town of Capernaum. 13:01 Jesus retreated to this deserted spot for some well-deserved rest with 13:03 His disciples. 13:07 The only trouble was word leaked out that Jesus was there and soon the place 13:11 was not all that deserted. 13:14 Thousands arrived to receive spiritual nourishment. 13:19 The hours went by and those people needed physical nourishment also. 13:24 You know the story; there were only 5 loaves and two fishes for those thousands 13:28 of hungry people and no grocery stores near by. 13:32 The disciples tried to send some people away, but Jesus would have none of 13:36 that. 13:38 "You don't have to send them away, there is enough here for all to eat - go 13:41 ahead and feed them! 13:43 " The disciples were stunned! 13:44 "Lord, how? 13:46 Five loaves and two fish - there is no way! 13:50 " Luke 9: 14 14:06 Jesus invited everyone to sit down and rest. 14:08 Now I don't know about you but when I am hungry and there is no food around, 14:14 the last thing I feel like doing is sitting down to rest. 14:18 I want to rummage around for something to eat. 14:24 But in obedience to Christ, those 5000 men and their families all sat 14:28 down to rest. 14:31 They trusted Jesus, and you know what happened - the Bible tells us they 14:34 all ate and were filled Luke 9: 17 14:50 What a picture of the Christian life! 14:53 To stop our working and rest in Christ - and then, perfect fulfillment. 14:58 We are so tempted to work our way to heaven, but Jesus says to you and me 15:04 today, just as He said to those hungry followers: "I have provided everything 15:07 you need. 15:10 Come, for all things are now ready. 15:14 " People will sometimes ask, is the Sabbath still valid? 15:18 Hasn't it been changed? 15:21 Does God really care what day you rest? 15:25 If God felt the Sabbath was needed in the quiet peacefulness of Eden, 15:32 isn't it a million times more needed in our frantic, confused, 15:35 traffic-snarled world today? 15:39 Would God really have done away with the Sabbath? 15:42 Didn't Jesus Himself change the Sabbath? 15:48 No, there is no record of such a change - not in a single part of the Bible. 15:52 Jesus kept the Sabbath, so did His disciples, so did His followers for long 15:57 decades after His resurrection. 16:01 Some people will say, keeping the Sabbath after Calvary is legalism - that 16:07 we are trying to earn our salvation by worshipping on the Sabbath. 16:13 You see, keeping the Sabbath involves rest, the Hebrew word for Sabbath 16:18 means "rest, cease, desist". 16:23 Resting in Christ's accomplishments, trusting in His works rather than 16:29 my works - that is the very opposite of legalism! 16:33 Think of Calvary, crucified on a Friday afternoon, resting in the 16:39 tomb on the 7th day Sabbath, and then raised to life on the Sunday with 16:44 your salvation and mine guaranteed for all time. 16:50 So when we rest on Sabbath, we honor Christ's glorious act of redemption 16:55 on the cross, as He rested on the Sabbath, I rest too, trusting in Him as my 17:00 Creator and my Redeemer and Saviour. 17:05 We all need regular Sabbath rest, we desperately need to be 17:10 still and know that He is our God. 17:15 It is easy to point the finger at problems in society; we can identify 17:21 evils in the world without any effort, but what about the problems in here? 17:25 Have we given God our time? 17:31 That's the big question, we really cannot give ourselves unless we have 17:35 given time - quality time, true Sabbath rest time, won't you decide that 17:37 today. 17:44 Decide that you are going to spend quality time with God regularly - enough 17:51 time to worship and honor our Creator and Saviour. 18:00 Jesus loves me! 18:05 This I know, 18:08 For the Bible tells me so; 18:15 Little ones to Him belong; 18:22 They are weak, but He is strong. 18:32 Yes, Jesus loves me! 18:39 Yes, Jesus loves me! 18:47 Yes, Jesus loves me! 18:56 The Bible tells me so. 19:16 Jesus, take this heart of mine 19:23 Make it pure and holy Thine 19:30 On the cross, You died for me 19:38 And I will love and live for Thee 19:48 Yes, Jesus loves me! 19:55 Yes, Jesus loves me! 20:02 Yes, Jesus loves me! 20:12 The Bible tells me so. 20:33 All to Jesus I surrender; 20:40 All to Him I freely give; 20:47 I will ever love and trust Him, 20:55 In His presence daily live. 21:02 I surrender all, 21:08 I surrender all; 21:16 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, 21:26 I surrender all. 21:35 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, 21:44 I surrender all. 21:59 >Bill: Let us pray. 22:03 Father in heaven, we thank you for your love and your kindness, your mercy and 22:06 your goodness. 22:08 Father I pray for those now searching for rest. 22:12 May they find rest in Jesus. 22:16 May the experience the blessing of Sabbath rest. 22:20 Be with each and every viewer I pray, In Jesus name, Amen. 23:00 >>Bev: Hi, everyone! 23:03 On previous shows you've heard me talking about green smoothies and how 23:06 fantastic they are for your good health. 23:09 Well, today I want you to consider adding another type of green to your 23:11 daily living. 23:13 This one you don't eat, though. 23:15 This one - nature - is all around us. 23:19 The effects of nature on our wellbeing have been extensively researched and 23:23 found to be quite profound. 23:26 In fact, being out in nature appears to affect us all the way down to the 23:31 cellular level, and especially has a profound effect on the pre-frontal 23:33 cortex of our brains. 23:37 A study done by scientists at the University of Michigan found that not 23:41 only is being in nature relaxing, but it can also improve your memory. 23:46 They took 38 people, asked them to recite a given list of numbers backwards, 23:51 then sent them on a two-mile walk, either through an urban setting 23:55 or through the university's botanical gardens. 23:58 The numbers test was re-administered after the walks. 24:02 A week later, the participants were put through the same procedure 24:05 but the walking route was switched. 24:07 What were the results? 24:11 The walk through the botanical gardens actually improved test scores a 24:15 whopping 20 percent, while the participants who walked in the urban 24:18 setting had no improvement. 24:21 The really neat thing is that even in coldest winter, being outside in 24:25 nature boosted the participants' performance. 24:29 See how powerfully restorative nature is for our well-being? 24:33 And, speaking of winter, a Japanese study found that fractal patterns in 24:38 nature, for example, snowflakes, have a calming effect on our brains. 24:42 Studies also show that nature is a wonderful treatment for Attention 24:47 Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 24:50 Children who participated in activities in green outdoor settings 24:55 experienced significantly reduced symptoms of ADHD compared to children who 25:01 participated in activities conducted in built outdoor and indoor settings. 25:06 For those of us who live in cities, it's especially important to take breaks 25:09 often in parks and green spaces. 25:13 It can be difficult sometimes to find time during a hectic week to do 25:17 that, but Sabbath afternoons are a particularly good for 25:21 spending time in naturewith family and God. 25:24 Green up your life this week! 25:28 I'll see you next time! 25:36 >>Bill: I know that many of you would like to continue studying on 25:38 today's topic, and so we have some resources available to you. 25:42 One of them is a study guide that has been prepared specifically on 25:45 today's subject. 25:47 It is available for download on our website at ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. 25:54 The other two are these two special editions of the "Signs of the times" 25:57 magazine. 25:59 One is entitled "A day to remember", the other "History's greatest hoax". 26:04 They are free of charge because they are our gift to you our viewer. 26:08 Here is the information you need to in order to get your magazines. 27:12 Well, we have come to the end of another program, thank you, thank you, 27:16 thank you for spending this half hour with us - I hope you will do it again. 27:20 While we are gone, you can always visit the web site, ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. 27:25 All of the programs are archived there, you can send prayer requests -- I 27:30 tell you that we have some very dedicated staff in the office, they come 27:35 together every single morning and they pray over all of the requests that 27:40 get to our office. 27:42 So if you have a special prayer request, send it in knowing that our staff 27:45 will be praying for you. 27:47 You can also make a donation online. 27:50 Every donation you send goes directly to help keep this ministry on the air. 27:55 We have a youtube channel, YouTube.com/IIWCanada, you can follow us on twitter. 28:00 I pray that we will be back again together next week where once again we 28:05 will have the opportunity of studying God's word together. 28:08 Until then remember, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but 28:13 by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:19 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2015-02-06