Sermon – “The Holy Sabbath”

22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’” 24 So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 25 Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

11 “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness,

2 “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.

8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. 9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,

12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” 18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

No Ray brought up the two young men that were. Tragically that that tragedy tragically lost their lives this past week on the railroad and you know for the railroad industry what a tragic reminder of how important or how. Vital it is that we are constantly aware of our safety in the things you know that the things that we do every day that every single thing we do we have to have constant awareness but also what a tragic reminder of how quickly our lives. Can be taken from us how quickly so then how vitally important it is that we have that relationship with Jesus Christ to know that you know the next second. This life on this earth as we know it could be over for so how important it is that we have that true relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And our God is so faithful and so wonderful and he hears our cries so before I go any further let’s open a word of prayer Heavenly Father again we do thank you and praise you that you hear our prayers we thank you for your faithfulness God we thank you that your love is so awesome that you demonstrated your love for us and that while we were yet sinners you allowed your son to come and die that we can have a life that we do have hope after this life on this earth is over and that hope is in your Son Jesus Christ and father I just pray that your spirit would be in this place today I prayed your sweet spirit would just be among us fathers touch our hearts that our hearts receive what you have force that you might be exalted you might be glorified more debt the anything does not of you Lord let it not even be spoken I just pray that you would receive the glory honor and praise in Jesus’ name amen. A few weeks ago Pastor Robert Van Horn from the task of the church called and asked. If I would be willing to bring the message Sabbath morning last week Association and I said sure and he said he would like me to speak on the holiness of the Sabbath and then the practical way that we can keep the Sabbath so I titled the message of the holy Sabbath and last week Wednesday actually when I share in a little bit about it and they’ve said that they recorded so that we can see and I was not necessary because I’m going to share it again so to going to be a kind of a rerun for care and you know I know that. You know we’re Sabbath keepers now don’t often don’t always preach about the Sabbath but I have a few times and I know that we all know that we are not saved by keeping the Sabbath we’re only saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ by His righteousness but we do hold the Sabbath dear to our hearts. Of that. But anyway you know. She’s going to hear me on that. You know seventh day Baptists or whatever Sabbath keepers just like any other day nomination has people in their churches that are there just because they’ve been doing it all their lives tradition you know great Graham parents went their grandparents went their mom and dad went there so they’re just there so I’m going to say that even among many Sabbath keeping church is there are probably many that have never really in-depth studied the holiness of the Sabbath so that’s going to be one of my points today is the holiness of the sabbath than the holiness of God and then a purpose for the Sabbath so we’re going to begin with Exodus Chapter sixteen verses twenty two through twenty six. Hear the word of the Lord and so it was on the sixth day that they gathered twice as much bread. Two Omer’s for each person each one and all the ruler of the congregation came and told Moses then he said to them this is what the Lord has said To morrow is a sabbath rest a holy Sabbath to the Lord bake what you will bake today and boil what you will boil and lay up for yourselves all that remains to be kept on till morning so they laid it up till morning and as Moses as Moses commanded and it did not stink nor were there any worms in it then Moses said eat that to day for today is a Sabbath to the Lord today you will not find it in the field six days you shall gather it but on the seventh day the Sabbath there will be none think back everyone I’m sure remembers the story the children of Israel in the wilderness living in tents and they had you know there’s well over a million of them and God provided manna for them every morning except the Sabbath morning they could flip back the tent and look out their neighbors see the man outer lane on the ground and they would go out there and they would gather one Omer for each person in their tent in place. And then the Lord said to them on the sixth day I want you to gather twice as much now he had to tell him that because you know people just a natural tendency to be a little bit greedy so you know if they would go out there from Sunday to Thursday and think well I’m going to gather twice as much today so I can out tomorrow off too and if they would gather to a merger of three armors or whatever Sunday through Thursday when they woke up in the morning it had worms in it it was rotten it stunk. But if they would obey God and only gather as much as he said and then on Friday the preparation day then will it go and gather twice as much as they would normally gather it would be fresh. It would be fresh for the Sabbath it would be like new so it was all of a matter of trusting God it was a matter of being obedient to what God said God say and are you going to trust me on this are you going to trust for me to provide for you every day. You trust me enough that I will take care of you are you going to be obedient. But I believe to fully understand the holiness of the Sabbath we must understand the holiness of our God my friends our God that we serve as a holy God and it is that holy God that bless the seventh day and made it holy concerning the holiness of God R.C. sprawl makes this insight insightful observation from Isaiah Chapter six he says the Bible says that God is holy holy holy Not that he is mere holy and not that he is holy holy but it says that he is holy holy holy The Bible doesn’t say that God is love love love or Mercy Mercy mercy or justice justice justice or holy holy holy it but it says that he is holy holy holy I almost said that it didn’t say that but verse twenty one it says that God is holy holy holy and one commentary that I was searching out the holiness of God put it this way that if the Bible states a particular word twice that you better pay attention because they are trying to get a point across to their site trying to say that that is a very important word or subject so for the Bible to say that God is holy holy holy is just off the charts when it comes to importance is beyond words that we have to describe so that is how holy our God is the primary meaning of the word holy is to separate it comes from an ancient word that meant to cut or to separate perhaps an accurate understanding with me it would be a cut. Bove you know if we would find a garment or a piece of merchandise that is outstanding that it has appear excellence to all other we may use the expression that it is a cut above the rest. If we find something is truly excellence period. It means that one who is holy is uniquely holy with no rivals or no competition when the Bible calls God Holy It means primarily that God is transcend the transcendentally separate that he is far above and beyond. Anything else think about that God is far above and beyond he is your only true God far above and beyond us in His holiness you might say well I am holy because God made me holy That’s my point the only way that you can be holy is through his righteousness he is the source of holiness that’s all holy he is but yet he dwells with us through His Holy Spirit what an amazing God to be holy is to be other it is to be different in a special way the Scriptures put it this way in Exodus Chapter fifteen eleven it says who is like the among the gods Oh Lord who is like the majestic in holiness awesome in praise. Working wonders in first Samal two two there is no one holy like the lord indeed there is no one besides the Nor is there any other rock like our God so there is no one like the lord no one holy like the Lord and in Psalms eighty six eight through ten there is no one like the among the gods of Lord nor are there any works like Dein all nations whom God has made shall come and worship before the Lord for that for they saw glorify the name for that are great and those wonders deeds that hour alone are. God. To be holy is to be mule morally pure. When things are made holy when they are consecrated they are set apart and to purity they are to be used in a pure way. And that. Goes the Sabbath to their be used in a pure way they are to reflect purity as well as being set apart. Who has the authority to make something holy. God does He is the one who has the authority to make things holy why because he created all things so he has power and authority over it or passage verse twenty three it said To morrow is a sabbath rest a holy Sabbath to the Lord it is He that made it you know I know that sometimes we look so forward to the Sabbath rest you know in our fast paced high pressure society that we live in today I mean think about sometimes your jobs are so there’s so much pressure there so much competition so much stress put upon you that we look so forward to the Sabbath it was like when Friday rolls around you’re like oh. I can’t wait for more to get her so I can rest I need that rest you know God knew that rest would be important because if God didn’t establish that rest he knew that we’d work ourselves to death would work seven days a week I’ve said that. I’ve heard people say that twenty four hours is say enough hours in a day well yes it is because if we had more we would probably work ourselves again to death we work too much as it is I’m speaking Karen says new self. But it’s more than just rest from our labors it is holy. The Sabbath is more than rest it is rest don’t get me wrong but it’s more than that it is holy and the Sabbath has been Holy from the. Very beginning from the beginning at creation you know there are those that will. I’m not down but there are those who will say well they go to church on Sunday because the Sabbath was only meant for Israel. But in truth God established the Sabbath the creation Israel was I mean yes they were thought of can say that because God knows all things but they weren’t even established yet as a nation it was that creation that God established the Sabbath we work six days a creating the earth and all that isn’t the trees and and the creatures in man and he rested from his work Genesis two three says then god. Bless the seventh day and sanctified it because in it he rested from all his work which he had created and made it is God who bless the seventh day at creation not when he gave the command to Moses at creation the word sanctified is used here in Genesis is called Dash is a promise a primitive root to make to pronounce or observe as serve only clean and morally clean it means to dedicate to how low to keep holy the definition of the word sanctify means to set apart or to declare holy. I think you get the picture here so when God sanctified to Sabbath he made it sermon eclipse ceremonially clean I can’t talk today he is the one who set it apart so perhaps we could use the reference to that cloth that we find the disappear ear that it is a cut above the rest so the Sabbath day because of God making it holy setting that apart is a cut above the rest it is a cut above the other six days simply because God made it holy it is not holy. Because we is seventh day Baptists or any other Sabbath keeping church say that it’s holy it is holy because God said it’s holy. Not us not man it is he the one who has authority over things that made it holy. Let’s look at the commandment Exodus Chapter twenty verse eight says Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days you sell labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God in it you shall do no work you nor your son nor your daughter nor your male servant nor your female servant nor your cattle nor your stranger who is within your gates for in six days the Lord made heavens and the earth the sea and all that is in them and rested the seventh day therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and how did it how it means he made it holy I want to focus for just a moment on a important word and that commandment and that word is remember. To Remember he says Remember the Sabbath day and you probably think one of us from going well a lot of people have forgotten the Sabbath day but I’m going to say in the defense of those that don’t keep the Sabbath day as I said at the beginning a lot of people have been going to church on the first day the week because that’s what they’ve done all their lives and they have never themselves taken the time to search out the Sabbath a lot of people are going to tell you the truth think that they are actually keeping the Sabbath when they’re actually not keeping the Sabbath because they’ve never searched it out for themselves so they think they are truly keeping the Sabbath I don’t they’ve never taken the calendar and it’s never just really clicked but that’s not really where I want to go with this I just added When I went there but I did actually my point is this the word remember as it’s used here means to have been or be able to bring to one’s. Awareness of something or someone that one has seen or experienced in the past. You follow me here when God says Remember he’s saying Remember this thing from the past I know that we can all think of some significant of a vent or something to happen in our past it’s imbedded in our minds and I shared I may have shared this before but for those that didn’t hear back in one thousand nine hundred seventy two I was in a car accident and. My dad and I were coming home from the garage we would go to the garage and help the body shop and we were coming home late at night and we were driving a one thousand nine hundred sixty six American Rambler and it was green and I’m going to get to the point I’m sure in all this we were coming home it was in the winter time and we go around this sharp curve and there coming ad a spinning around in circles was a late model yellow Chevy Impala which is a huge car and think about this the cars back in the sixty’s you could take one of them and melted down and probably make two or three cars today because that’s how much metals in there heavy Well that car spinning around in circles and it slammed into us head on and that’s back in the day where we didn’t have shoulder belts why I didn’t need to have a lap belt on so not only did it leave an impression in my mind and I left an impression in the car. But at the straw both cars I mean literally total both cars and I say that because it’s embedded in my mind as something that I can remember so we can all probably think of something that happened in our past that’s embedded in our minds I can still vividly see that image in my mind I can hear the crash of the metal. You may have a similar experience that you remember but you know it’s not always bad things it might be good things men do you remember your wedding day. When you’re supposed to say yes I remember that because that’s a good day. It was if the big. If you don’t remember and remember but we can remember good things to you know those day those days are embedded in our minds we remember them we remember the day when our children were born in our grandchildren were born we can remember those sayings it’s in the in the past but we remember it and I believe that that’s what God is saying to the nation of Israel when he says Remember remember the Sabbath because it’s saying about the past so I believe he’s saying to them remember the day that your ancestors kept your father’s before you kept I want you to keep it also so they kept the Sabbath from creation I believe that’s what God is saying to them here remember it. You know some people say what’s OK just so we keep any old day but that’s not what God’s word says the seventh day he blessed the seventh day made it holy so the Sabbath day the seventh day truly is the Lord’s Day That is the holy day that God said to Kate now that we’ve established the holiness of the Sabbath. How should we keep it. What things should we do what should we do you know I’m not going to stand up here and give you a long list I think our scripture lesson from Exodus gives us a very practical answer to that they prepared ahead of time when it was a medium to God they prepared ahead of time they went out and gathered twice as much on the day of preparation so they wouldn’t have to go where they wouldn’t found them Sabbath anyway but they prepared ahead of time God says Trust me in this be faithful to me and this you know there’s another very practical example found in Isaiah Isaiah fifty eight thirteen and fourteen if you turn away your foot from the Sabbath from doing your plays are all my holy day and call the Sabbath the light the holy day of the Lord honorable and shell honor him not doing your own ways in. Finding your own pleasure nor speaking in your own words then you shall delight yourself in the Lord and I will cause you to ride on the high heels of the earth in Fiji with the heritage of Jacob your father the mouth of the Lord has spoken for friends that’s not my words the mouth of the Lord has spoken turn away from doing your own pleasure on his holy day yes we can enjoy it he wants it to be a delight to us it shouldn’t be a burden but he wants us to turn away from our own things. And honor him. Warship him enjoy the rest enjoy the Sabbath he made it for you and not. That it’s a blessing from him. Let’s honor him and keep it holy. So instead of giving you a list let those few verses guide you. Do God’s will in the Sabbath keep it holy not doing what just what you want to do. Just remember those things. You know if we would say well you know Lord I just can’t make it owns six days I have to work seven days and be able to be able to survive. Why so you’re not trusting God to provide because I believe that God can bless you and open the windows of heaven and poor Out upon you if you trust in Him He will make it so huge you can make more in six days and seven you might say walk can’t get all my work done around the house if I don’t work on the Sabbath again same principle applies God will help you enable you to do more in six days and you could never do in seven days you know I know that I shared one other time about building the house. One house that didn’t keep the Sabbath the work seven days a week took one day off an entire nine months a second house I’m going to shorten this second house I. Kept the Sabbath a more complicated house built it in nine months and kept the Sabbath God blesses your time when you’re faithful to him my man. There’s one more point I want to share. And that’s another purpose of the Sabbath and this the rest that was new but this part I know that I shared a few years ago in a message on the Sabbath and it’s an Exodus thirty one twelve through eighteen and the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak also to the children of Israel saying surely my Sabbath sabots you shall keep for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you you shall keep the Sabbath therefore for it is holy to you God want you to keep it because it is holy to you every one who pervades it’s all surely put to death for ever does any work on it that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest holy to the lord whoever does any work on the Sabbath he shall surely be put to death therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant it is a sign between me and a children of Israel forever for in six days and were made to heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed and when he had made an end of speaking with him a Mount Sinai he gave Moses the two tablets of testimony tablets of stone written with the finger of God You know we might often say well this book this Bible was you know written by men but it’s inspired by God but this is one thing for sure those two tablets testimony were written by the finger of God God is the one that gave them God as one that wrote them down. But the purpose here is what I want to point out it is a sign between God. And man. The Sabbath is a sign you know if you walk down the streets of the city earn a town say for example you just go to a couple miles from here you’re going to see a sign that says Western Maryland collision center. What’s that tell you that’s a sign to let you know that if you wreck your car. You can take it there and get it repaired if you need need be you know if you find yourself in some legal hot water and you walk down a street Musea sinuses Smith’s law firm you know that you can go there and maybe obtain some legal help because there’s a sign out there to let you know if you’re down at the beach and you see a ship going by and it’s got an American flag fly on Air proud what’s let you know that identifies that ship as belonging to an American if you’re in a battle when you’re at war the opposing side ways a white flag what’s a main right and then a five that they are surrendering so it is a sign to let you know what that business or what that ownership of it identifies things. That’s what the Sabbath is the sign is a badge it is a symbol or token of identity. The word in which Moses use or wrote in the Hebrew language. The sign is an oath. It defines it as a monument or evidence so the Sabbath is evidence that we belong to God it is evidence that we worship the God that created the heavens and the earth that’s what he’s saying in Exodus when you keep the sabbath that is a sign to the rest of the world my friends this is not just for the nation of Israel because what was their task what the God set them as a part for that they would reveal to the rest of the world. The God who created the heavens and the earth the God that is merciful one just they were to show God to the rest of the world they were show the rest of the world how to live for God including the Sabbath. So yes he did set them apart but the Sabbath also is a sign to say that I have warship the God of creation and that I belong to him that I belong to the true God That is a sign. That we are his true children that we worship no other God but the God who created the heavens and the earth as I said it’s not just for the nation of Israel Galatians three twenty six or twenty nine says For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on price there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus if you are Christ then your Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise brothers and sisters if you believe in Jesus Christ we are all heirs of the promise we are all of Abraham see. So the Sabbath is meant for us even today the Sabbath is not old it’s not obsolete he said that is a perpetual covenant. And I’m pretty confident paper it. As I said perpetual means. For ever forever it doesn’t mean that it would become extinct after Christ came and lived and died. But it means forever as a sign that we are his true children yes as I said in the very beginning we’re not saved by keeping it. But it is what’s pleasing unto God it is do we want to please God do we want to do and live according to His commands according to the way that God said to live. So keep the Sabbath holy unto the Lord not just for yourself but unto the Lord Amen.