Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP190029A
|
00:01 The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says to, "Receive with meekness 00:09 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:13 And to be diligent 00:15 to present yourself approved to God, 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is, "The Least of These." 00:30 Hello, friends, 00:31 and welcome again to another week 00:32 of the 3ABN Sabbath School panel. 00:34 As always, we are so thankful and grateful 00:36 that you are joining us 00:37 for another incredible week of Bible study. 00:40 This week's lesson is entitled "Sabbath, A Day of Freedom." 00:44 And this is our third week. 00:46 You guys having fun with us? Oh, yes. 00:47 I've really, really enjoyed this study 00:49 and I know it's gonna continue to be a blessing for us all. 00:52 Before I go any further though, I'd like to go ahead 00:54 and introduce this incredible, awesome, amazing panel, 00:58 and friends, and colleagues of mine. 01:01 Directly to my left is Miss Shelley Quinn. 01:02 How are you doing? I am blessed to be here. 01:04 I don't think anybody realizes 01:07 how much fun we have doing this together, 01:10 getting together and studying, and just having a good time. 01:13 That's true. 01:14 I guess they don't really, really know, huh, 01:16 behind the scenes we act kind of crazy sometimes, 01:18 but that's okay. 01:19 Also to your left is Pastor John Lomacang. 01:21 It's good to have you, Pastor. 01:23 Always a blessing and as Shelley said, 01:25 a joy to be here. 01:26 Wonderful. Praise the Lord. 01:27 And, of course, to your left is Miss Mollie Steenson. 01:30 It's always good to have you. 01:31 Well, thank you. It is a joy to be here. 01:33 Praise the Lord. 01:34 And, of course, Miss Jill Morikone. 01:37 It's a blessing to have you on the panel as well. 01:38 Thank you so much, Ryan. 01:40 Privilege to study the Word of God 01:41 with each one of you. 01:42 Amen. Praise the Lord. 01:44 I want to inform you 01:45 of how you can get a copy of this lesson 01:47 just in case you might not have one. 01:49 You can go to ABSG.Adventist.org 01:53 and you can access a copy 01:55 of this incredible study for free. 01:58 Or, of course, 01:59 I would always encourage you 02:00 to go to your local Seventh-day Adventist Church as well, 02:03 and they will wonderfully provide you 02:05 a copy of that for free, 02:06 and encourage you to study with them. 02:08 At least that's what I encourage everyone to do. 02:10 It's always good to study in small groups, 02:12 you learn more that way. 02:14 Before we go any further, 02:15 I would like to ask the Lord to be with us. 02:18 And I'm gonna ask Miss Mollie Steenson 02:19 to pray for us at this time. 02:21 Thank you. 02:22 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus. 02:24 And, Lord, we are so grateful 02:26 for Your presence that we sense here. 02:28 Father, we ask now that as we bring before You 02:31 these words that we have studied, 02:33 we ask Your anointing upon them and we ask, Father, 02:36 for this Word to go forth and touch all those hearts 02:39 that you have prepared to receive Your Word. 02:41 If this Word would take root, it would grow, 02:43 it would prosper and we would be conformed 02:46 to your very image and likeness in Christ's name. 02:48 Amen. 02:50 Amen. 02:51 Sabbath afternoon 02:53 is really setting this up for us. 02:55 We're talking about the Sabbath day 02:57 and the Sabbath day is one of... 02:59 In my opinion probably 03:00 one of the most misunderstood topics 03:02 across Christianity today. 03:04 But in light of what we're discussing 03:06 the least of these, 03:08 that is the title of this quarterly study. 03:11 This is one of the most important subjects 03:13 that I find that each and every person 03:15 needs to come to understand 03:17 the deep importance of Sabbath keeping 03:19 and the importance of the day in general 03:21 from a biblical perspective. 03:23 I want to go directly to our memory text 03:25 which is found in Mark 2:27. 03:29 Notice what the Bible says, this is again Christ speaking, 03:31 and He says, "And He said to them, 03:33 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.'" 03:40 And I always like to highlight there, 03:41 the word man there because again, 03:43 some people think that only certain men 03:45 apply to this particular principle, 03:47 maybe only certain groups but of course, 03:50 the word man here in the original Greek 03:51 is the word anthropos, 03:54 which simply means mankind or human being, 03:57 so this Jesus meant for the Sabbath commandment. 03:59 The blessing of the Sabbath, the freedom of Sabbath keeping 04:03 to be for every single person across the globe, 04:05 every created individual. 04:07 And I would like to go ahead and just jump directly 04:10 into the Sabbath commandment. 04:12 It's always important to be reminded 04:14 of that great commandment that God gives us. 04:16 So this is found in Exodus 20:8-11. 04:20 We know that this is the longest 04:21 of the Ten Commandments. 04:22 It's certainly not more important 04:24 than any other commandment, 04:25 but you'll notice it starts with the word "Remember" 04:27 because again, we live in a civilization today 04:29 where many people have forgotten 04:31 this very commandment. 04:32 So let's be reminded, Exodus 20:8-11. 04:36 The Bible says, 04:37 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 04:41 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 04:44 but the seventh day is the Sabbath 04:46 of the Lord your God. 04:47 In it you shall not do no work, you, nor your son, 04:51 nor your daughter, nor your male servant, 04:53 nor your female servant, nor your cattle, 04:56 nor your stranger who is within your gates. 05:00 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 05:02 the sea, and all that in them is, 05:05 and rested the seventh day. 05:07 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 05:09 and hallowed it." 05:11 And I liked the one of the opening paragraphs 05:15 of this particular lesson on Sabbath afternoon. 05:17 The author says, 05:18 often we talk about the Sabbath, 05:21 the conversation quickly moves to how to keep it 05:24 and certainly that's important. 05:26 But he goes on to say, 05:27 what are the things that we should do or not do, 05:29 things like that come in conversation, 05:31 however important these questions are, 05:34 we need to understand the integral role 05:37 that the Sabbath was designed to play in the world 05:39 and in the lives of God's people 05:41 as a symbol of God's grace and provision. 05:44 So what was ultimately the Sabbath given for? 05:47 I think the title of it really gives it away. 05:49 The Sabbath day, of course, is a day of freedom. 05:51 It's given for us to be free in Christ 05:53 and to share the blessing of the Sabbath. 05:55 And I want to move on to Sunday's lesson. 05:57 It's entitled, "Manna Enough." 06:00 And I really, really enjoyed this particular lesson 06:03 because it highlights a story in the Bible 06:06 that I often highlight 06:08 when I'm out teaching and preaching 06:09 these beautiful messages. 06:11 You can't leave this story out because it's so important 06:13 and it has so many wonderful details 06:15 in regards to the Sabbath found in it. 06:18 Of course, we know that the children of Israel 06:20 had been in Egypt for more than 400 years. 06:23 And, of course, a lot can be lost and forgotten 06:25 in more than 400 years, 06:27 and we're talking about, you know, 06:28 multiple generations that have come and gone. 06:30 And we know the children of Israel, 06:32 all the many years that they were in Egypt. 06:35 They kind of lost sight of many of the principles 06:37 and the commandments, 06:38 and the plan that God had for their life 06:41 and so here they are coming out of Egypt, 06:44 and they're wandering around in the desert. 06:46 And, of course, it's not too long 06:48 after they find themselves in the desert, 06:50 wandering around that they begin complaining, 06:51 and whining, and griping, saying, you know, 06:53 the Lord's brought us out here to starve 06:55 and He's brought us out here to thirst to death 06:57 and, of course, the Bible says 06:59 that the Lord heard their murmurings 07:00 and complainings, and He responded. 07:02 He spoke to Moses 07:03 and He gives them this wonderful plan. 07:05 Now it's interesting, 07:06 He speaks to Moses and He tells them 07:09 that He's going to rain bread from heaven to test them. 07:13 You can find that in Exodus 16:4. 07:16 In fact, I'm getting the story, if you want to go there now, 07:19 Exodus Chapter 16 you'll notice these are, 07:21 this is four chapters prior 07:23 to the verbal deliverance from God 07:26 of the Ten Commandments. 07:27 And so we know that this had been a principle. 07:29 This is a principle that God had expected 07:31 and wanted His people to receive and to practice 07:34 and to receive the blessing 07:35 all those years that they were in Egypt, 07:36 but of course they were working, working, 07:38 working seven days a week, 07:40 not keeping God's commandments and, of course, 07:42 that was a major, major, had played a major impact 07:45 on their morality. 07:47 We see there in verse 4, that God says, 07:48 "I'm gonna rain bread, bread from heaven for six days. 07:52 And I'm doing this to test them 07:54 to see whether or not they will keep 07:56 all of my laws or not." 07:57 And I think that's noteworthy there 07:59 because He could have chosen pretty much any commandment 08:01 but He chose the Sabbath commandment 08:03 to be the test on whether or not 08:05 that He would see whether or not 08:06 they would keep all of His laws or not. 08:08 And, of course, there comes day one, 08:11 and that bread rains from heaven 08:12 early in the morning. 08:14 And, of course, the children of Israel go out 08:15 and they see this white stuff on the ground 08:17 and they say, "What is it?" 08:18 And that's exactly what manna means, what is it? 08:21 And then we come to verses 16 through 18. 08:24 Notice Exodus 16:16-18, this is what the Bible says. 08:30 "This is the thing which the Lord has commanded 08:32 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, 08:38 one omer for each person, 08:40 according to the number of persons, 08:42 let every man take it for those who are in his tent.'" 08:46 Verse 17, 08:48 "Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, 08:50 some more, some less. 08:53 So when they measured it by omers, 08:55 he who gathered much had nothing left over, 08:58 and he who gathered little had no lack. 09:01 Every man had gathered according to each one's need." 09:05 And I just want to highlight that they gathered 09:07 only according to their need. 09:09 In fact, Paul actually responds 09:12 and emphasizes and references this particular text 09:15 over in 2 Corinthians 8:10-15, 09:20 I encourage you to go read that 09:21 from verses 10 on to verse 15 in 2 Corinthians, 09:23 but I'm gonna read verses 13 through to 15. 09:26 Notice what he says here, he says, 09:27 "For I do not mean that others should be eased 09:31 and you burdened." 09:33 Okay, so he said, I'm not meaning 09:34 that others should be eased and you burdened, 09:35 but He goes on to say, 09:37 "But by an equality, that now at this time 09:40 your abundance may supply their lack, 09:42 that their abundance also may supply your lack, 09:46 that there may be," there it is, again, "equality." 09:49 You'll see that that word keeps coming up. 09:51 "As it is written, 'He who gathered much," 09:53 and this is where he is referencing Exodus 16, 09:56 "As it is written, 'He who gathered much 09:57 had nothing left over, 09:59 and he who gathered little had no lack.'" 10:01 So Paul is emphasizing the concept of equality 10:04 among the brethren, among those even in need. 10:08 I like the lesson. 10:09 It says here in one of the paragraphs here, 10:11 it says the lesson for the Israelites and us. 10:14 So this is just to us as much as it was to the Israelites. 10:17 It says was that God has provided sufficiently 10:20 for His people and His creation. 10:23 If we take only what we need 10:25 and are prepared to share our excess with others, 10:29 all will be cared for and provided for. 10:32 Taking only enough for the day required the people to trust 10:37 that there would be more the following day, 10:40 oppressed people, such as the Israelites slaves, 10:43 tend to focus on their own survival, 10:45 but God wanted to demonstrate to them a life of 10:48 and here's the key word, "trust" okay? 10:51 A life of trust, generosity, and sharing. 10:54 I couldn't help as I was going through this study, 10:55 and I was constantly being reminded 10:58 that God is really emphasizing to the children of Israel, 11:00 trust Me, trust Me. 11:02 In fact, that's the entire anthem 11:04 of the entire Bible, okay? 11:05 God wants us to trust Him as our God. 11:08 We are His people, He is our God. 11:09 He wants us to trust Him abundantly. 11:12 But the text that came to my mind 11:14 as I was studying this was Psalm 23, 11:17 the first couple of verses. 11:19 We often kind of use it in a poetic way 11:21 when we're talking about, you know, 11:22 the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 11:24 But yet notice the wording here, 11:25 "The Lord is my shepherd," Psalm 23:1-2, 11:30 "I shall not want, 11:32 He maketh me lie down in green pastures, 11:36 He leads me beside the still waters." 11:39 Now, I did a little bit of research on this and found 11:43 that our idea of green pastures 11:46 may not be the idea of green pastures 11:49 that the Psalmist was actually trying to communicate. 11:51 Most of us read this particular text 11:53 as well as many other texts in the Bible 11:55 from a kind of a Western cultural mindset. 11:58 But if you study this from a Middle Eastern mindset, 12:01 and you look at the geography of Jerusalem 12:03 and the surrounding hills of Jerusalem, 12:06 when David would have written this particular psalm, 12:10 "I shall not want, 12:11 He maketh me lie down in green pastures." 12:13 There's actually a hillsides 12:15 around the terrain of Jerusalem, 12:18 known as green pastures. 12:20 And I made a few notes here, all around Jerusalem 12:22 are mostly dry, rocky hills, okay? 12:25 Jerusalem only receives about 23 inches of rainfall per year, 12:29 okay, and that's only seasonal. 12:31 Most of the year, it is a very, very dry. 12:33 And I'm bringing this out for purpose 12:34 because it's powerful here. 12:36 During the dry seasons, 12:37 the west wind of the Mediterranean 12:39 blows in just enough moisture 12:41 for small amounts of condensation 12:42 to gather on the rocks during the cool of the nights. 12:46 Just enough moisture for the sprigs of grass 12:49 to grow there here and there, little here and there. 12:52 And so if you go out 12:53 to what is known as green pastures 12:56 around Jerusalem, 12:57 you will find the shepherds leading their flock. 13:01 And it looks like just dry rocky land, 13:03 but there's a little sprigs of grass here, 13:05 here and there, here and there, and he is leading those sheep. 13:08 The sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd 13:10 to lead them to the springs of grass 13:13 each step along the way. 13:15 We need to learn to trust God in the exact same way. 13:17 I think that's exactly what this is meaning. 13:19 The Sabbath is given to us as a blessing of freedom, 13:22 but it also teaches us that in that manna test 13:25 that points to God's law. 13:26 We can trust that not only is God gonna provide for us, 13:29 but it also points to the blessing 13:31 of the Sabbath as well. 13:32 Amen and amen. 13:34 Thank you for such a beautiful opening there. 13:38 I love this lesson 13:39 because Monday is the two reasons for Sabbath. 13:45 I'm gonna divide it into three if I may. 13:48 And here's what I believe you've already brought up 13:50 or someone brought up in a previous study. 13:53 Sabbath establishes our weekly cycle. 13:57 It is the only reason that we have a weekly cycle. 14:00 In Genesis 2:2-3 says, 14:03 "On the seventh day, 14:05 God ended His work from which He had done." 14:08 This is the creation account. 14:11 "He rested on the seventh day 14:12 from all His work which He had done. 14:14 Then God blessed the seventh day 14:18 and sanctified it." 14:19 God made it holy, and I just have to say it here. 14:25 Only God can make something holy. 14:29 Man cannot make something holy. 14:31 "God blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it 14:35 because in it He rested from all His work 14:38 which God had created and made." 14:40 So there are three reasons 14:43 if you don't mind me expanding this, 14:46 that we have the Sabbath. 14:48 The first reason, 14:49 it is a memorial of God as our Creator 14:54 and the one who recreates us in the image of Jesus. 14:58 Secondly, 15:00 it is a memorial of redemption 15:03 and deliverance that we may remember 15:07 that we are saved by grace through faith. 15:11 There's nothing we can do to save ourselves. 15:14 But I would say that that redemption and deliverance 15:19 is what we would call justification. 15:22 Now the third reason for the Sabbath 15:25 is that it is God says a sign between Him and us 15:31 that He is the one who sanctifies us. 15:34 Amen. 15:35 So what does that mean? 15:37 Justification is when 15:39 we've come to the foot of the cross, 15:41 accepted Christ as our Savior, 15:42 all of our past sins are washed by His blood. 15:46 But sanctification is that day by day growing process 15:52 that where God sets us apart from sin 15:56 and that goes on the rest of our life. 15:59 Listen to this, 16:00 and I just have to make a mental jump myself 16:05 to look at my notes. 16:07 I grew up believing the Ten Commandments 16:10 had been nailed to the cross. 16:12 I preached it. 16:13 I preached against the Sabbath. 16:15 I preached why we should keep the Sabbath 16:17 on the first day of the week, Sunday 16:19 rather than the seventh day of the week 16:21 until God got me into a study on the sanctuary 16:26 and a study on His covenant. 16:28 You see, I mistakenly thought 16:30 that the Old Covenant was a covenant of works. 16:33 That it somehow didn't tie in to Abraham 16:37 and this justification by faith, 16:40 righteousness by faith. 16:41 But I want to read to you Exodus 2:24-25 16:46 to show you that even the Old Covenant 16:50 is part of salvation by grace through faith. 16:53 The one thing that is the unifying theme of Scripture 16:56 is that God is a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. 17:00 And every one of His covenants, 17:02 or each step it is building on the process 17:06 of the everlasting covenant. 17:08 And Exodus 2:24-25 when God, 17:12 the Hebrews are crying out to Him 17:15 to deliver them from slavery. 17:16 It says, "So God heard their groaning, 17:19 and God remembered His covenant 17:25 with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 17:28 So God is now, it's like, all right, 17:33 this is gonna be a progression of this covenant 17:36 of salvation by grace. 17:38 And God looked upon the children of Israel 17:40 and God acknowledged them. 17:42 So even the Old Covenant is part of the covenant 17:47 of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 17:49 He is just, He is growing it. 17:51 Now, turn to Exodus Chapter 19, 17:55 I want to show you the covenant love language 17:58 in when... 18:00 Here the Israelites had been feeding the manna, 18:03 they've been delivered, they were saved. 18:06 He parted the Red Sea. 18:08 They've been baptized into Moses, 18:10 they had been delivered from bondage, 18:13 they were saved. 18:14 Listen to this right before He speaks the Ten Commandments, 18:18 Exodus 19:4-9, this is covenant love language. 18:23 God is saying to them, 18:24 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, 18:27 and how I bore you on eagles' wings 18:31 and brought you to Myself." 18:33 This is their Redeemer, 18:35 this is God, their lover of their souls. 18:38 "Now therefore, 18:39 if you will indeed obey My voice 18:40 and keep My covenant, 18:42 then you shall be a special treasure to Me 18:44 above all the people, for all the earth is Mine. 18:47 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests 18:50 and a holy nation." 18:52 These are the words Moses 18:54 that I want you to go tell the children of Israel. 18:57 So Moses goes down and says, "Hey, God loves you. 19:00 He brought to you 19:01 on these wings of eagles to Himself, 19:04 and He wants you to be a special people, 19:06 a special treasure, a kingdom of priests." 19:09 And, you know what they say? 19:11 They say, all that the Lord has said we will do. 19:15 So now He hadn't even spoken the Ten Commandments yet, 19:19 but they're entering into covenant. 19:20 He'd already saved them, they're entering into covenant. 19:24 So now let's look again at the Ten Commandments 19:27 because you cannot leave off first one 19:31 as you are reading in Exodus 20. 19:34 Verse 1 is the preamble to their constitution 19:37 of the Ten Commandments. 19:39 And Exodus 20:1 says this, "God spoke all these words." 19:44 He speaks the Ten Commandments first 19:49 and then He's actually gonna speak the Old Covenant 19:51 that Moses is gonna write down in a book. 19:54 And then He gives Moses the Ten Commandments, 19:56 but He's written with His own finger. 20:00 But listen to this. 20:02 "God spoke all these words saying, 20:04 'I am the Lord your God, 20:07 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 20:11 out of the house of bondage.'" 20:12 I'm the God who has saved you. 20:14 I'm your Redeemer. 20:16 And then He launches into speaking 20:19 the Ten Commandments. 20:20 And I want to read once again, the fourth commandment, 20:23 Exodus 20:8-11. 20:26 He goes through the first three, 20:28 "You shall have no other gods before me. 20:29 You shall not take my, or bow down to idols. 20:32 You shall not take my name in vain." 20:35 Then He says to them, 20:36 "Remember the Sabbath day, six days you shall labor 20:40 and do all your work, but the seventh day 20:42 is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 20:44 In it you shall do no work, you nor your son, 20:47 nor your daughter, nor your male servant, 20:49 nor your female servant, nor your cattle, 20:51 nor your stranger who is within your gates." 20:53 In other words, 20:55 everybody gets to enjoy the state of rest and freedom, 21:00 even the foreigners, even the slaves. 21:03 And then here in Exodus 20, 21:05 we see how it is a memorial of creation 21:09 because here's what they're to be remembering. 21:11 "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth 21:14 and the sea and all that is in them, 21:16 and rested on the seventh day. 21:17 Therefore, the Lord blessed the seventh day, 21:21 and He hallowed it, He made it holy." 21:25 So this is the one that reveals God is our Creator 21:29 and the one who's gonna recreate us 21:30 in the image of Jesus most clearly. 21:33 And he... 21:35 What God is asking of us, is that we'd remember this day 21:38 because He wants to reestablish a relationship with us. 21:42 That's right. 21:43 And, boy, we can get so busy even in ministry, 21:45 we can get so busy doing good things 21:47 even in ministry, that we kind of put God, 21:54 we give Him leftovers sometimes at the end of the day. 21:57 You know what I'm saying. 21:58 But the Sabbath is something that we get to come 22:01 and spend that entire time with Him and be blessed. 22:05 Now, in Deuteronomy 5 and I've got to hurry. 22:09 Deuteronomy 5, 22:12 it focuses on God as the Rescuer and Redeemer. 22:17 Deuteronomy 5:12-15. 22:21 He says, "Observe the Sabbath day, 22:22 to keep it holy, 22:24 as the Lord your God commanded you." 22:26 And it goes on, in the six days this is what you shall do. 22:29 And verse 15 says, 22:30 "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 22:34 and the Lord your God brought you out 22:36 from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm, 22:41 therefore the Lord your God commanded you 22:43 to keep that Sabbath day." 22:45 So this is the focus on God as our Redeemer. 22:49 But here's my favorite scripture, 22:51 Exodus 31:13. 22:53 God is speaking and He says, 22:56 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 22:59 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, 23:02 for it is a sign between Me and you 23:06 throughout your generations, 23:08 that you may know 23:10 I am the Lord who sanctifies you.'" 23:13 I'm the Lord who sets you apart from evil. 23:16 This is all about restoring relationship. 23:20 And it helps me from Sabbath to Sabbath to remember, 23:24 it's God. 23:25 Salvation belongs to God. 23:27 There's nothing I can do to save myself. 23:30 He is the one as I just say, 23:32 Lord, I yield to You, I submit to Your will, 23:36 do with me as You want. 23:38 He's the one who's gonna sanctify me. 23:41 All right. Praise the Lord. 23:42 That was such a blessing. 23:44 We're gonna take a short break and we'll be right back. 23:51 Ever wish you could watch 23:52 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 23:54 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 23:57 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:02 A clean design makes it easy 24:05 to find the program you're looking for. 24:07 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:10 so you can follow along. 24:12 Sharing is easy. 24:14 Just click share 24:15 and choose your favorite social media. 24:17 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:24 Hello and welcome back 24:25 to the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 24:26 We're gonna kick it over 24:28 to Pastor John Lomacang at this time 24:30 with Tuesday's lesson entitled, "A Day of Equality." 24:33 Thank you, Ryan. 24:34 A day of equality once again 24:36 is another component of the Sabbath 24:38 and the way that God intended this Sabbath to be. 24:41 I'd like to sometimes take my mind back 24:44 to when there was no division, 24:46 there was nothing but harmony. 24:48 Everything was in complete cadence with God, 24:52 man had not sinned, 24:53 there was no deception yet entering the world. 24:56 And if we would go back to that 24:58 and put the context of the Sabbath back in it, 25:01 it would say that the prayer 25:02 that Jesus prayed eventually in John 17:20 25:07 was that we will be one. 25:08 Actually John 17:21 25:10 a whole thing from 20 all the way down to 26. 25:12 That oneness, that unity that He prayed for later on 25:16 was what we had in the very beginning. 25:18 He would not have to have prayed for that 25:20 if sin had not entered the world. 25:22 That's true. 25:23 So he wouldn't pray for something that was a part 25:25 of the whole package of creation. 25:27 When God finished, everything was very good, 25:30 relationships were very good, everyone was equal. 25:33 There was no, no one was subservient to the other. 25:36 Everyone was on the same plane, God was Supreme, 25:38 and everyone was under His lordship. 25:41 And there was no jealousy, 25:44 there was no division at all that had entered into creation, 25:48 even though there was a war in heaven. 25:50 It had not yet come into creation. 25:52 But we think now in the context 25:55 of how can God be the one 26:00 who could restore this equality? 26:02 And I believe the Sabbath is not just a day 26:04 to recognize His lordship, 26:07 but it's a day now to restore this equality, 26:10 because right now in Christianity today 26:13 there's anything but equality. 26:14 There's contention, there's division, there is... 26:19 There are internal fights, 26:21 each one claiming to be above the other. 26:24 But if we would all simply follow God's blueprint 26:27 in His Sabbath command, 26:29 we'll find that that equality that was missing 26:31 can be easily restored. 26:33 So I'm gonna bring out about six points 26:38 as to why I believe Jill has affected my life, 26:42 as to why I believe the Sabbath is so important, 26:45 and how it effectively brings back this equality. 26:49 One of the things we have to keep in mind is 26:51 the Sabbath command starts with a simple word 26:54 that has profound impact. 26:56 Remember, I always, 26:58 whenever I get a chance to talk about the Sabbath, 27:00 I always bring two other people into the mix, 27:03 Dr. Luke and Solomon are the wise men who says, 27:07 remember now the Creator in the days of your youth. 27:10 I can't find a pastor, Mollie, that would argue with that. 27:13 The young people need to know the Lord 27:15 while they're young. 27:16 Dr. Luke, who now remember Lot's wife, 27:19 three small words, great impact. 27:21 I can't find a pastor that would argue with that. 27:23 When God calls you out, don't go back. 27:25 That's simply the lesson there. 27:27 But it amazes me that when God says remember, 27:30 I could find a lot of pastors to argue with that. 27:33 Isn't that amazing? Yes. 27:34 Is that an ironic thing? Yes. 27:35 That's true. 27:37 They won't argue with man on either point. 27:38 Remember the Creator while you're young, 27:40 don't do what Lot's wife did, remember Lot's wife. 27:43 But God says remember, and they said, 27:45 okay, on this one, 27:48 you could forget that because I don't know. 27:52 It sounds like the devil saying the same thing. 27:54 Did God say, you get it? Has God said? 27:58 Remember, yes, He did. 27:59 And somehow men clothed in ecclesiastical garments 28:02 have now found a way to dismiss 28:05 what God has said we must remember. 28:06 So let's look at some of these points. 28:08 Let's go to Exodus 20:11. 28:10 First of all, the first one is Exodus 20:11, 28:14 the Bible says, first of all, 28:16 the Sabbath command is a directive for all creation 28:20 to recognize its Creator. 28:22 It's a directive. 28:24 "For in six days, 28:25 the Lord made the heavens and the earth," 28:28 that's the directive, 28:29 "the sea, and all that is in them, 28:31 and rested the seventh day. 28:32 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 28:34 and hallowed it." 28:35 The directive there, 28:36 it's a command that is directive to all creation. 28:40 It's not an optional thing. 28:42 It's not a suggestion, it's a directive, saying, 28:45 if we follow this directive, 28:47 then all creation will be in harmony with its Creator. 28:50 So what gives God the right? 28:52 He is the Creator. 28:53 He's the one that made heaven and earth. 28:55 And it really troubles me sometimes that we give men, 28:58 men that are finite, men that are temporary, 29:00 we give them more recognition in areas of authority. 29:03 Because really, what preacher can say 29:06 that you should forget what God told you to remember, 29:09 and you choose to listen to the preacher 29:10 over the Creator. 29:12 That means they put man above God, 29:15 the very thing that causes 666 to replace 777 29:20 is six is the number of man, 29:22 a repetitious or recognition of man's authority 29:25 over God's authority really, 29:26 to me is what the mark of the beast is all about. 29:29 Putting man's authority where God's authority should be. 29:31 That's right. 29:32 The second one, the Sabbath day is a day of recognition, 29:34 calling all creation to glorify its maker. 29:38 Genesis 2:3 actually, I'll go there, 29:41 then God blessed the seventh day 29:43 and sanctified it. 29:45 Because in it, He rested from all His work 29:48 which God had created and made. 29:50 You'll find during the Dark Ages 29:52 that was chiseled away at very gradually, 29:54 but eventually, 29:55 it was not a day that men chose to rest 29:58 because Sunday was instituted in there. 30:02 And as, I'm glad you pointed that out 30:04 that the Sabbath is a day of celebration. 30:06 It's not a boring day, 30:08 it's not a day where I can't do this, 30:09 and I can't do that. 30:11 It's a day, where if you love the Lord, 30:12 you don't want to do anything else. 30:14 You want to spend time with Him, 30:16 the lover of your soul, 30:18 the one who alone can redeem you. 30:20 And so when the Bible says 30:21 the Lord rested from all His work, 30:22 is in essence saying to us, 30:24 as creation rest from all your work, 30:27 and Jesus exemplified that in His life. 30:30 Luke 4:16, 30:31 so it's a recognition calling all creation 30:33 to glorify its maker. 30:34 Thirdly, the Sabbath is a day of contemplation 30:37 that life is unsustainable without the Supreme Sustainer. 30:43 It is a day of contemplation that life is unsustainable 30:47 without a Sustainer. 30:49 I give a different application to Acts 17:28, 30:53 "For in Him we live and move and have our being." 30:58 In Him we live and move and have our being. 31:00 How can we live and move without the Creator, 31:03 who is not only the giver of life, 31:05 but He is the sustainer of life. 31:07 If you choose not to recognize the very person 31:09 that sustained you, is like, a car saying, 31:13 I don't need any gas stations, I got an engine, I got tires, 31:17 I got everything I need, I got a nice radio, 31:19 I don't need anything to sustain me. 31:21 It's just a matter of time before we run out of gas. 31:23 The Lord is our only sustainer, 31:25 in Him we live and move and we have our being. 31:28 Not only the Sabbath is an example 31:32 of recognizing our Sustainer, but the Sabbath 31:36 does not exclude any class or race or people. 31:40 Amen. 31:41 Revelation 14:6-7. 31:43 We know it. 31:46 "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 31:48 having the everlasting gospel to preach 31:50 to those who dwell on the earth 31:52 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 31:56 saying with a loud voice, 31:57 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 32:00 for the hour of His judgment has come, 32:02 and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 32:05 the sea and the springs of water.'" 32:06 Revelation is calling people back. 32:08 And I believe that one of the reasons 32:10 why Revelation is so looked down on 32:12 is because Revelation is reminding 32:13 the last generation 32:15 with the first generation for God. 32:16 Yes. Amen. 32:18 It's good. It's right. 32:19 Revelation is saying, 32:20 it may have been 6,000 years ago, 32:22 but it still applies. 32:23 That's right. 32:24 So the generation throughout the ages, 32:26 as we saw, I think Ryan brought this up 32:27 before the children of Israel 32:29 got to get the written commandments 32:31 on tables of stone. 32:32 One of the first test was the Sabbath, 32:34 how long will you refuse to keep My commandments, 32:36 My statutes and My laws? 32:37 How long are you gonna refuse to honor My Sabbath? 32:40 And He did it by testing them 32:42 on something as simple as manna. 32:44 Oh, the manna that He rained down. 32:46 So once again, 32:47 the Sabbath does not exclude any class, 32:49 any race, or people. 32:51 And there is no ecclesiastical person 32:52 that can say otherwise. 32:54 But the other thing and I want to reiterate 32:56 what Shelley brought out here a moment ago, 33:00 the Sabbath is not a day of drudgery, 33:02 but the Sabbath is a day of what? 33:03 Joy. Celebrate. 33:05 And celebration. That's right. 33:06 Leviticus 23:32 from evening to evening 33:09 you shall celebrate the Sabbath. 33:11 From evening to evening 33:12 you shall celebrate your Sabbath. 33:14 And you get the point 33:15 that the Sabbath is a point of celebration. 33:18 In light of the Sabbath we all are equal, 33:21 because the Sabbath is made for how many of us? 33:24 The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 33:28 Mark 2:28. 33:29 An employer during the week 33:33 has no authority to make employees 33:36 work on the Sabbath. 33:39 I just want to plug that in there. 33:41 If your employer is saying, 33:42 you have to work on the Sabbath, 33:44 ask him who said? 33:46 Oh, you said, I remember one pastor once said, 33:49 the store owner said, 33:51 what would you do if I fire you for not working on the Sabbath? 33:54 He said that's okay. 33:56 The same God who got me a job here 33:58 will get me a job somewhere else. 34:00 So fear no man, be obedient to God alone. 34:03 And what God has done 34:05 at the end of creation week is not modifiable by anyone. 34:08 Keep that in mind. 34:09 Nobody can take away 34:13 from what God has given us the injunction 34:16 and the privilege to experience. 34:18 And you know, we work so harder on here, 34:20 thank God, there's a Sabbath. 34:22 I mean, even though we are Sabbath observers, 34:24 we look forward to the Sabbath. 34:26 Our bodies begin to shut down 34:27 at the very thought that what time is it? 34:30 Thank you, Lord, the Sabbath is coming. 34:32 And why is the Sabbath most important? 34:35 John 13:15, 34:36 "I've given you an example, 34:38 that you should do as I have done." 34:40 Amen. 34:41 Amen. Mollie. 34:42 Amen and amen. 34:44 Well, I'm looking at Wednesday, which is, 34:47 again about the Sabbath as a day of healing. 34:50 And when I teach on the Sabbath, 34:52 I want to teach you about the joy, and the liberty, 34:55 and the celebration. 34:57 But you know, it's also a day of healing 34:59 and I never really seen it from this perspective. 35:02 And it's a beautiful teaching, 35:03 Ryan, as you brought out 35:06 on Sunday's lesson 35:07 after being slaves for over 400 years, 35:10 and with Saul maybe 430 years and 40 years in the wilderness. 35:14 We're closing in on 500, closer to 500 years. 35:18 God's people had suffered degradation 35:22 as an oppressed people. 35:24 That is all they knew. 35:28 They were in need of a better concept of living 35:31 and by giving them laws and instruction 35:34 for a better way of life, a better way 35:37 of conducting their daily lives, 35:40 God was changing their mindset. 35:43 Are we all in need of a little attitude 35:45 adjustment at time, a mindset change? 35:48 If that wasn't changed, 35:51 when they come into the Promised Land, 35:53 they would emulate in their new home 35:56 what they knew in Egypt. 35:59 Abnormal is normal to you 36:02 if that's all you've ever known. 36:03 Yes. It's true. Good point. 36:05 So the nation of Israel that went into Egypt 36:11 was not the same nation of Israel 36:14 that came out of Egypt. 36:16 That's very good. Okay. 36:18 How many people went into Egypt? 36:21 Just a family, primarily. Yeah. 36:23 Okay, about how many? 36:25 I think it's about... Thirty. 36:26 Thirty, Shelley is saying. 36:28 Okay, how many came out? 36:31 One million. 36:33 So we have got generation after generation 36:37 after generation of separation 36:39 from those that were walking it. 36:41 And so we've got a people that God has to... 36:45 Pastor Lomacang, you said it in earlier teaching, 36:48 God had to get Egypt out of these people. 36:51 Okay. 36:52 The original vision God gave to His people for daily living, 36:57 most especially the Sabbath 36:59 and Sabbath keeping was broad and inclusive. 37:04 As we have learned today, 37:06 it was to be a blessing to everyone, 37:08 including slaves, servants, and even animals, 37:13 very clear. 37:14 When God gives you instruction, 37:16 it's clear, it's concise and easy to follow. 37:19 However, by the time Jesus came to earth, 37:22 the Sabbath had become something quite different 37:27 for many of the religious leaders. 37:30 Instead of a day of freedom and that word, equality, 37:35 Sabbath had become 37:37 a day of human traditional rules and regulations. 37:42 The original instruction from God to His people again, 37:45 was concise and easily understood. 37:48 However, the Jewish leaders broadened God's law 37:53 by making hundreds 37:54 and I think we were discussing this earlier 37:58 600 some said 640. 38:00 Ryan, I think you said 623. 38:02 Six hundred and thirteenish. 38:04 Okay, that many more rules and regulations were added 38:09 on top of God's concise, easily understood law. 38:18 It had so confused things 38:23 till the Sabbath keeping 38:26 particularly had become a day of great restriction. 38:31 So Jesus stood up against such attitudes, 38:36 especially as they were imposed on others. 38:40 One of the ways He did this 38:41 was concerning healing on the Sabbath. 38:44 It seems that He intentionally performed many miracles 38:49 on the Sabbath as supposed to other days 38:52 to demonstrate something important 38:54 about what the Sabbath should be. 38:57 Now the religious leaders 38:59 didn't like Him healing on the Sabbath. 39:01 They didn't take kindly to that, 39:04 not because it flew in the face of God's law. 39:09 What did it fly in the face of? Man's made... 39:11 Those man-made laws. 39:15 And so I wanted to give us a few examples, 39:17 turn to Mark 3:1-6. 39:21 And let's look at some of the examples 39:25 of Jesus healing on the Sabbath. 39:28 Mark 3:1-6, 39:31 "And He entered the synagogue again, 39:34 and a man was there who had a withered hand. 39:37 So they," who are they? 39:39 The religious leaders. 39:42 "Watched Him closely, 39:44 whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, 39:46 so that they might," do what? 39:48 Accuse. 39:49 "Might accuse Him." 39:51 "And He said to the man who had the withered hand, 39:53 'Step forward.' 39:54 Then He said to them, 39:56 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, 40:01 to save life or to kill?' 40:04 "But they kept silent. 40:05 And when He had looked around at them with anger, 40:09 being grieved by the," what? 40:11 "Hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, 40:15 'Stretch out your hand.' 40:16 And he stretched it out, 40:18 and his hand was restored as whole as the other.'" 40:22 Now, isn't that you see a miracle from God 40:25 right before your eyes, 40:26 shouldn't you be rejoicing and celebrating? 40:30 "Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted 40:34 with the Herodians against Him, how they might," do what? 40:38 "How they might destroy Him." 40:40 See, Jesus was setting straight 40:44 the spirit of the law that God had given. 40:48 Flying in the face of all these man-made rules and regulations 40:51 that were meant for nothing more than 40:53 to bring God's people into bondage. 40:57 And Jesus said, "I have come to set you free." 41:00 Thank you, Lord. 41:02 John 9:1-7. 41:03 Let's look at that, John 9:1-7, 41:07 "Now as Jesus passed by, 41:10 He saw a man who was blind from birth. 41:12 And His disciples asked Him, saying, 41:15 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, 41:20 that he was born blind?' 41:22 Jesus answered, 41:23 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, 41:26 but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 41:29 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day, 41:35 the night is coming when no one can work. 41:38 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' 41:42 When He had seen these things, 41:44 He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, 41:48 and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay. 41:53 And He said to him, 41:54 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' 41:57 which is translated, Sent. 41:59 So he went and washed, and came back," what? 42:02 "Seeing." He came back seeing. 42:05 Now the rest of this story is very interesting, Jill. 42:09 Because the Pharisees renounced to Jesus 42:14 because He healed the blind man when? 42:16 On the Sabbath. 42:17 On the Sabbath day, that it just amazes me, 42:21 that they didn't rejoice that the blinds are seeing 42:25 rather they renounced the very one 42:29 that healing came through. 42:31 And when the former blind man wouldn't renounce Jesus, 42:35 what did the religious leaders do to the blind man? 42:40 They excommunicated him and excommunication 42:44 was a very serious thing. 42:47 That meant that you were separate, 42:49 is like being shunned. 42:50 Any of you have any experience with being shunned? 42:54 I've had experience with a shunning. 42:57 It's an evil thing. 43:00 They don't allow you to talk 43:03 with your family, with your friends. 43:04 Everybody shuns you, and you can't go to church, 43:07 you can't attend the church. 43:09 It's vitally important that 43:11 we put boundaries around the Sabbath. 43:14 It's not that we shouldn't do that, of course, we could. 43:17 But around the Sabbath there is God intended it, 43:20 not man-made rules and regulations. 43:23 It's a time to keep in a special. 43:26 It's a time to draw closer to God. 43:28 Amen. 43:30 But Sabbath keeping shouldn't be selfish. 43:33 Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:12. 43:37 "It is lawful to do," what? Good. 43:40 "To do good on the Sabbath." 43:42 We are to relieve the suffering of others at every opportunity. 43:46 Sister White tells us work self-mercy and benevolence 43:51 were in accordance with the purpose of the Lord, 43:54 to relieve the afflicted to confront the sorrowing 43:57 is a labor of love 43:59 that does honor to God's holy day. 44:01 Now, I've got just a minute I wanted to share this. 44:04 I recall a time 44:05 when on the Sabbath morning we got up. 44:08 There had been a tornado 44:10 that have come through our area. 44:12 And you know what, some of the men in our church, 44:14 dear Pastor Lomacang, took chainsaws out 44:18 and help clear the debris off of driveway, 44:21 so people could get. 44:23 What were they doing? 44:24 Were they dishonoring the Sabbath? 44:26 No, they were doing good on the Sabbath. 44:30 The Desire of Ages said, 44:31 "The sickness must be cared for, 44:33 the wants of the needy must be supplied. 44:36 He will not be held guiltless 44:38 who neglects to release suffering 44:41 on the Sabbath." 44:42 Amen, what a wonderful study, Mollie. 44:46 I love the Sabbath. 44:48 What a privilege to spend time with Jesus. 44:51 What a privilege to learn more about Him 44:55 and to celebrate the gift that He's given to us 44:59 through creation, redemption and sanctification. 45:02 I love that, Shelley, I'm gonna remember that. 45:05 On Thursday we take a little shift, 45:07 it's still the Sabbath. 45:08 Thursday's title is "Sabbath rest for the land." 45:13 This is not to be confused with the weekly Sabbath 45:16 that we have been discussing through the panel. 45:19 But there's still lessons that we can learn 45:22 and some of the same similar concepts found here. 45:26 So turn with me to Leviticus Chapter 25. 45:28 We're gonna spend our time here 45:30 at the Sabbath rest for the land. 45:34 First, I want to talk about the importance of the land, 45:37 then we'll look at the nuts and bolts 45:39 of what it really meant 45:40 for the Sabbath rest for the land. 45:43 And then the lessons that we can learn 45:46 from this experience, 45:48 so first of all, the importance of the land. 45:51 The land of Canaan, 45:52 this would be the land of the Israelites 45:54 was consistently viewed in the Old Testament 45:57 as the place of God's promise and blessing. 46:01 You think all the way back at creation, 46:03 the Garden of Eden, God created 46:05 this is Genesis Chapter 2 and Genesis 3. 46:08 Adam and Eve were placed in the garden to dress it, 46:12 to keep it, to watch over. 46:14 There were blessings to be found 46:17 for them there in that land. 46:19 What were the blessings? 46:21 God would walk with them in the cool of the day. 46:24 They received everlasting life from Eden of the tree of life. 46:30 But there was a condition, 46:32 there was actually only one condition 46:33 for them there in that land. 46:36 Don't eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 46:40 We know that they did eat of the tree. 46:43 And what were the consequences? 46:44 They were expelled from that land, 46:47 removed from the Garden of Eden, 46:50 and they were kept from eating that tree of life. 46:54 Those are some of the consequences 46:55 that took place. 46:57 We come down to the time of Abraham. 46:59 God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees 47:02 where he lived to a place a land 47:05 that God would show him. 47:08 Now what were some of the blessings 47:09 of the Abraham at covenant? 47:11 There was land included in that, 47:14 there was a seed or we could say 47:16 through his lineage would come Messiah, 47:20 Christ the deliverer. 47:22 There were blessings to be found from that. 47:24 The blessings of the covenant 47:25 were really inseparable from the land. 47:28 We have Jacob. 47:30 He was driven from the land, 47:32 but he was given a dream, remember, 47:34 and the ladder ascended up to heaven and the angels 47:38 were climbing the ladder ascending and descending. 47:41 And he was given a promise 47:43 that he would be able to come back to this land 47:47 and that God would bless him. 47:49 There was Joseph, he went into Egypt, 47:51 but what did he tell his sons when I die? 47:54 Take up my bones, take my bones 47:56 and carry them with you back to the land of Promise. 48:01 The Israelites, Leviticus 26. 48:03 God promised to bless the people and the land. 48:06 And then in Deuteronomy 28, 48:08 we have the law of blessing and cursing, 48:10 and a lot of those laws, 48:12 the blessings and the cursings were associated with land. 48:15 Not all of it, of course, 48:17 but many of them are1 associated with land. 48:20 Ruth the Moabitess woman, 48:21 she found rest in the land of Israel's God. 48:26 So we look at that significance 48:28 to the children of Israel of the land. 48:30 And now we look at the Sabbath rest for the land. 48:33 We're in Leviticus Chapter 25. 48:36 We're gonna look at, 48:38 this is the Sabbath rest which is every seventh year, 48:42 so every seventh year this was to occur, 48:44 will look at the condition of the land every seventh year, 48:48 the condition of the slaves every seventh year, 48:51 and the condition of the debtors 48:53 every seventh year. 48:55 So let's look at the land. 48:56 Leviticus 25:1-4, 49:00 "And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 49:02 'Speak to the children of Israel, 49:04 and say to them. 49:05 When you come into the land which I give you, 49:07 then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord.'" 49:11 Now we've been talking this whole week 49:14 on us as people, right? 49:17 Observing, celebrating the Sabbath, 49:20 the weekly Sabbath on the seventh day 49:22 that God has given to us. 49:23 And this is talking about the land 49:26 keeping a Sabbath for the Lord. 49:28 "Six years you shall sow your field, 49:30 six years you shall prune your vineyard, 49:33 and gather its fruit, 49:34 but in the seventh year 49:36 there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, 49:39 a Sabbath to the Lord. 49:41 You shall neither sow your field 49:43 nor prune your vineyard." 49:46 So on the seventh year, the land must lie fallow, 49:50 it must be given its Sabbath rest as it were. 49:54 The crops were not to be planted 49:57 and permanent crops could not be pruned 50:00 or cared for as another year, 50:02 so this would be like maybe the vineyards, the grapes, 50:06 they weren't supposed to prune them 50:07 on that seventh year. 50:09 It said in verse 4, 50:10 "You shall neither sow your field 50:12 nor prune your vineyard." 50:14 Now, of course, annual crops would receive themselves 50:17 and perennial plants would still bear fruit. 50:20 Verse 5, 50:22 "What grows of its own accord..." 50:23 Now this is just the things 50:24 that would naturally spring up," 50:26 What grows of its own accord 50:27 of your harvest you shall not reap, 50:30 nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, 50:33 for it is a year of rest for the land." 50:37 So no harvests were allowed during this Sabbath year 50:41 or I would say, harvest for sale, 50:44 like you're harvesting your food 50:45 and then you're gonna sell it and make a profit. 50:47 But they were allowed to eat 50:49 from the produce from that year. 50:51 We see that in the next two verses, 50:53 verses 6 and 7, 50:55 "And the Sabbath produce of the land." 50:57 That's the produce that just naturally receives itself 51:01 or the things that naturally grow 51:02 on that seventh year. 51:04 "The Sabbath produce of the land 51:06 shall be food for you, 51:07 for you, your male and female servants, 51:09 your hired man, 51:11 and the stranger who dwells with you, 51:12 for your livestock and the beasts 51:14 that are in your land 51:15 all its produce shall be for food." 51:17 So basically everyone, the slave, the servant, 51:20 the strangers, the animals, 51:22 everybody was allowed to glean and to eat from the field. 51:27 You know, in other years, 51:28 they were allowed to glean maybe a quarter of the fields. 51:31 Now the gleaners could come in, 51:32 but here they're allowed free access. 51:34 That's the condition of the land 51:36 on the Sabbath rest. 51:37 The condition of the slaves, we won't read this, 51:40 but in Exodus 21, you can look it up. 51:42 Exodus 21:1-11. 51:45 It talks about in the event, 51:46 any Israelite was indebted as a slave, 51:49 they're to be freed in the seventh year. 51:52 Exodus 21:2-11 says, 51:54 "If you buy a Hebrew servant, 51:56 he shall serve six years and in the seventh 51:59 he shall go out free and pay nothing." 52:02 There's also the condition of the debtors 52:03 on this seventh year. 52:06 Deuteronomy 15:1-11 talks about 52:09 any outstanding debts to be cancelled 52:12 at the end of seven years. 52:14 So what are the lessons that we can learn 52:17 from the rest of this Sabbath year, 52:20 the seventh year? 52:22 I think there's a lesson number one 52:23 of trust in God. 52:26 The manna you talked about, Ryan, 52:27 that the Israelites received, 52:29 that's an act of trust in God that He's gonna provide me food 52:33 for every day that I can eat. 52:35 In this case, 52:36 if you're not planting crops on the seventh year, 52:40 it's an act of trust that God is the one 52:42 who's gonna provide food for year, 52:45 Food for you to eat for that year. 52:48 Number two, we're called to extend mercy 52:51 to those who are less fortunate. 52:54 The release of the slaves in the seventh year 52:56 is an act of mercy toward others 52:58 and it's also an act to trust 52:59 that God's gonna provide for your needs. 53:01 Canceling those debts in the seventh year 53:04 is an act of mercy toward those less fortunate. 53:07 I think as we extend mercy toward others, 53:10 God works to remove the selfishness 53:14 from our hearts. 53:16 It's a way to remove that selfishness. 53:18 Number three, 53:20 we remember that God owns everything we have 53:23 and everything we possess. 53:26 God is the owner and we are simply stewards 53:30 of what He has entrusted to us. 53:33 So this practice of the Sabbath year 53:35 of letting the land lie fallow 53:38 for that seventh year reminded the people of the fact 53:42 that God really owned their land 53:44 and that they were brought into this land 53:46 as a result of the blessings of God. 53:49 It's the same with the principle 53:50 of tithing today. 53:51 We don't practice the principle of the seventh year 53:54 of Sabbath rest today. 53:56 But we do practice the principle of tithing. 53:59 It's the same principle 54:00 that God is the owner of everything we possess. 54:04 And finally number four, 54:06 we are called the lesson I learned 54:07 from this is to walk in obedience. 54:11 The Sabbath year is a test as it were, 54:14 of whether we're gonna walk in obedience to His command, 54:17 because it definitely took faith 54:19 to obey this and to do this, 54:21 and it definitely took some unselfishness, Mollie. 54:25 The Sabbath year was almost designed as it were 54:27 to keep materialism in check. 54:31 I see the example of Boaz in closing, 54:35 the laws of the land when he offered to Ruth, 54:38 not just to glean in the corner, 54:40 but you can glean further 54:41 and I'm gonna give you gleanings, 54:44 I'm gonna give you wheat. 54:46 The laws of the land were something too high 54:48 to be striven for. 54:50 They were instead viewed as a minimum 54:52 that were called to surpass. 54:54 That's just what Jesus said, 54:55 the spirit of the law goes way deeper 54:58 than the actual letter of the law. 55:00 That's right. Wow. 55:01 Powerful, thank you so much to each and every one of you. 55:03 Why don't we take the few remaining minutes we have 55:06 and just go back through 55:08 and if you have any last comments or share with us? 55:11 Three things or reasons for the Sabbath, 55:14 it is a day to celebrate God as our Creator 55:20 and the one who recreates us 55:21 in the name of Jesus the image of Jesus, 55:25 it is our celebrating God as our redeemer 55:30 and the one who has saved us and he also says Exodus 31:30 55:37 that the Sabbath is a sign that He sanctifies us. 55:40 All right. 55:41 Equality can only be accomplished in obedience, 55:46 cannot be accomplished in disobedience. 55:49 The Sabbath is not a suggestion, 55:52 it's a command. 55:53 Honoring that command we will find unity in Christ. 55:57 Amen. It's good. 55:59 And rather than allowing people to subject us to laws, 56:04 we are to celebrate the spirit of the Sabbath 56:08 and know in our heart, what the Lord said is true, 56:12 "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 56:14 That's right. 56:16 I think every principle that God gives us 56:18 in His Word is for a purpose. 56:21 And what He calls us to do is to study His Word, 56:25 to learn to trust Him, 56:28 whether we understand or not, whether we even agree or not, 56:32 but to walk by faith and to walk by obedience 56:36 to the things that He has called us to do. 56:39 Wow! Praise the Lord. 56:41 You know, when I think of the Sabbath commandment 56:43 and the beauty of Sabbath keeping, 56:45 my mind goes to the sanctuary 56:48 because in the most holy place, 56:49 you have the Ark of the Covenant, 56:51 inside the Ark of the Covenant were, 56:53 there were three articles. 56:54 But one of those articles of course, 56:55 with the Ten Commandments was the part of manna, 56:57 which was on my day, 56:59 I was talking about manna enough. 57:01 But that part of manna not only does it show us 57:04 and remind us of the wonderful trust 57:07 that we should have in God to provide for us 57:10 and the promise we have from God to provide for us, 57:12 but also when I think of that part of manna, 57:14 I think of the promise and the gift of freedom 57:18 that the Sabbath gives us if we would just honor it. 57:21 And I just want to leave you with these couple of texts 57:23 in Ezekiel 20:12-20. 57:27 Verse 12 says, 57:28 "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, 57:30 to be a sign between them and Me, 57:32 that they might know 57:34 that I am the Lord who sanctifies them." 57:36 And of course, verse 20 57:37 in Ezekiel Chapter 20 also says, 57:40 "Hallow My Sabbaths, 57:41 that they will be a sign between Me and you, 57:43 that you may know that I am the Lord your God." 57:45 That is relationship wording there, 57:48 is relationship terminology. 57:51 We are so blessed that you have been able 57:52 to join us this week for an incredible study. 57:55 We hope that you can join us next week again 57:58 for another incredible study. 58:00 We hope you have a blessed day and we shall see you soon. |
Revised 2019-07-22