This is another word that was chosen by one of our members. You might not
think so, but it is a word that causes a great deal of controversy. Groups such
as the Seventh Day Adventists hold that God requires the church service to
be held on Saturday, the Sabbath day. Some of you grew up with many
restrictions of what you could do on S unday. There are many
questions about the Sabbath, beginning what or when is the Sabbath? Is
Sunday the Sabbath? Are we still to observe the Sabbath? Is a person allowed
to work on the Sabbath? These are just a few of the questions. So let’s begin
with what it is, when it is, and why was it given?
The Sabbath command was given in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20.8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. The Sabbath command was to do no work on the Sabbath day. Yes, Jews in Old Testament, New Testament, and modern times use Saturday as the day of worship, but that is not the essence of the Sabbath command. God commanded a day off.
According to the Pharisees, Jesus repeatedly broke the Sabbath by “working.” In Mark 2.27 Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Mank is Lord even of the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was intended to help people, not burden them. It was not designed to be a legalistic observance. It was to help us rest from our hard work.
The second part of that verse states that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath in that the Sabbath pointed to the rest Jesus provides. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. Jesus calls us to come to him and rest. Matthew 11.28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
On the cross, Jesus did all the work necessary for our salvation so that now we enter his rest and when he comes again, we enter the eternal Sabbath Rest. Hebrews 4.9-10, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.”
Although first-century Jewish believers went to the temple on the Sabbath, the decision by the church leaders recorded in Acts 15 never instructed Gentile Christ followers to keep the Sabbath. In Colossians 2.16-17, Paul wrote, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” If there was a day that Christians met regularly, it was the first day of the week (our Sunday), not the Sabbath day (our Saturday) (Acts 20.7, 1 Corinthians 16.2). This is in honor of Christ’s resurrection on Sunday. There were never instructions or restrictions given as to how to observe this day.
Therefore, first, with our liberty in Christ, each person can choose what to do about the Sabbath. Secondly, we are not allowed to judge someone who does not follow our choice. I do believe, following God’s wisdom, it is a wise practice to take a day off each week to rest and refresh. But whatever we do, do it for the glory of God and not out of legalistic obligation.
In Christ Alone
Pastor Gary
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