The Sabbath, Part 1

Genesis 1:31-Genesis 2:3

What does the Sabbath mean? What's the big deal? Will God really send people to eternal death because they go to church on the wrong day?

Let's Illustrate!

Illustration #1–"Brian, Brent, and Bruce–can you come out and play?" came

Jimmy's yell from across the street.

That had been Jimmy's pattern ever since the boy's dad–annoyed by Jimmy's incessant knocking–had instructed his boys to tell Jimmy, "Stop knocking on our door all the time." Usually, it was no big deal. Either the boys would go play, or one of them would yell out the door, "Sorry. Can't."

But today was different. "Brian, Brent, and Bruce–can you come out and play?" the familiar voice sounded from across the street as the family sat eating Sabbath lunch. Bruce shifted in his chair, hoping the voice would go away, or that his parents would not notice. "Brian, Brent, and Bruce–can you come out and play?" The voice was a little louder this time. Bruce looked around the table. He noticed Brian playing with his food. Brent sat staring in his lap. Bruce slunk down into his seat, trying his best to be invisible. The voice got louder and more insistent–"Brian, Brent, and Bruce–can you come out and play???" Mom put down her fork. She raised her eyebrows as she turned to look at Dad. Dad took the hint. "Bruce, go tell Jimmy to not yell for you boys on Sabbath," he instructed.

Bruce gulped. Slowly, he trudged his way to the door and opened it. He could see Jimmy standing on the edge of the sidewalk–he had his baseball cap on backwards. In one hand he held a glove. In the other he grasped his bat. Bruce rolled his eyes. Hanging his head, he trudged across the street toward his friend.

"Sorry, Jimmy. I can't play today," Bruce apologized.

"How 'come?" Jimmy whined.

"'Cause I can't play on Saturdays."

"How 'come?"

"'Because we're Seventh-day Adventists, and we're not allowed to play on Saturdays. So, could you please not call for us on Saturdays?"

"Oh. Okay," came Jimmy's hollow reply. His shoulders drooped as he headed home.

Bruce watched him go, his bat making queer bumping noises as it trailed behind him.

–Have you ever found yourself apologizing for the Sabbath?

Illustration #2–The people from Keith's work were going out for some fun on a Friday night and asked Keith if he could come along. Keith said, "Sorry, I'm a Seventh-day Adventist and can't do that. They asked him, "Can't you get some special dispensation from your priest to go out with us tonight?" Keith found it difficult to explain to them why he couldn't and that he really would rather not go out with them on Sabbath.

–Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words when confronted with Sabbath issues?

Illustration #3–Tell a personal story of a time when you found yourself trying to explain to someone why you did not do something on Sabbath.

Introduction

In order to approach such difficult situations, it would help if we understood what the Sabbath is about in the first place. Many of us believe the Sabbath is important, but we do not know why. Why did God institute it? Before we attempt to answer this question, I want you to:

•	(Groups) List in your group some of the typical reasons we talk about for God giving us the Sabbath. (Give time to discuss in groups, and then take responses.)

◦	He knew we would need it because we would be tired at the end of a week.

◦	As a memorial of creation.

◦	We need a day to go to church, a day of worship.

Hear the Word

Now we are going to go to Scripture to see Biblically why God gave us the

Sabbath. We will come back to some of the typical reasons we just mentioned later and examine them in light of what we discover from Scripture.

Turn to where the Sabbath is first mentioned in Scripture–Genesis 1:31-Genesis 2:3. Read this passage in your groups.

"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (NAU)

The Facts–"Just the Facts, Ma'am."

•	What did God see in verse 31?

◦	All that he had made

•	How much of it?

◦	All of it

•	How good was it?

◦	Very good

•	What day was this?

◦	The sixth day with evening and morning. (Note that this is a 24-hour day.)

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

•	What is included in "all that He had made?"

◦	The heavens and the earth and all their hosts

•	(Groups) What is the significance of it all being very good in God's estimation?

◦	He was pleased with it. He would not change a thing. It was perfect down to the last detail.

The Facts–"Just the Facts, Ma'am."

•	In what condition are the heavens and the earth and all their hosts in Genesis 2:1?

◦	Completed (Gen. 2:2 literally says , "On the seventh day God completed His work which He had done.")

•	What was completed on the 7th day?

◦	God's work which He had done

•	What did He do next?

◦	Rest

•	From what?

◦	All His work which He had done

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

•	Why did God rest?

◦	His work was completed

•	Why was it completed? Give me Scripture.

◦	It was perfect/very good

Let's Illustrate!

Did you catch that? How do you know when you are done working on a

project, paper, etc.? When it is time to turn it in because you know you will never

have it the way you want it? Have you ever gotten something creative down to where you would not change a thing? (Wait for any acknowledgment.) How does a painter know when his painting is done? Possibly, he figures that if he added any more, it would be less than perfect. He quits when the painting is just right–perfect and complete. Whenever we do something creative, it probably could be improved, but God routinely makes things so that they cannot be improved upon!

The Facts–"Just the Facts, Ma'am."

•	What did God do to the seventh day?

◦	He blessed it and sanctified it

•	What do bless and sanctify mean? (Give answers)

◦	Bless: to endue with power for success, prosperity . . . longevity, etc. frequently contrasted with the word meaning to esteem lightly or curse. (From--"%rb," Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Bibleworks software)

◦	Sanctify: to place in the realm of the sacred, versus the realm of the common. (From–"vdq," Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Bibleworks software.)

•	Why did God bless and sanctify it?

◦	Because in it He rested from all His work

-	Whose work?

▪	God's work which He had created and made

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

•	(Groups) In light of what we have seen, what would it mean for a day to be blessed and sanctified?

◦	It has power beyond that of the normal common realm.

Watch closely now . . .

•	Why did God bless the 7th day again?

◦	Because He rested in it

•	Why did He rest on the 7th day?

◦	His work was complete.

•	Why was it complete?

◦	It was perfect.

•	So, if you are hearing all this, you can tell me now Biblically why God made the Sabbath.

◦	God blessed a certain day because He rested in it, and He rested because His work was 1st perfect and 2nd complete.

Highlight:

-	It was perfect: Aren't you glad that God doesn't make mistakes? He got to the end of the week, looked at all He had made, and declared it "very good." It could not be improved upon. This is how God works! All of God's works are perfect!

-	It was complete: He had completed His work, which who had done? He! God does not rest because He gets tired. He rests when he is done, when His work is complete. Perfect and complete. These two words describe how God works. He does not rest until everything He is doing is first, perfect and second? Complete.

•	Come back to our list of reasons from the beginning: How scriptural are these reasons?

◦	God knew we would need the Sabbath because we would be tired at the end of a week. Now that is true, but how Scriptural is it? How tired were Adam and Eve on their first Sabbath?

-	Not tired at all. (Picture Adam and Eve–they have just been created Friday afternoon, and God initiates a holiday.)

◦	As a memorial of creation. But what do we mean when we say that? (Don't need to wait for answers.)

-	(Most of us do not know. This is probably the best of the reasons, but I can believe that God is the Creator and still not be resting in His perfect and complete work.)

◦	We need a day to go to church, a day of worship.

-	(There is no such thing as one day that is better than another for worship. This has led us to being 7th-day Adventists instead of 7-day Adventists.)

•	So why does God tell us to cease from our work once a week?

◦	So we do not forget that His work is perfect and complete.

•	(Groups) How does resting from our work help us remember that His work is perfect and complete? Hint–"How perfect and complete is your work at the end of the average week?"

◦	There are always a lot more things I should have done. The Sabbath reminds me that my work is never perfect, nor complete. It reminds me that I need a God whose work is perfect and complete.

Let's Illustrate!

Illustration #1–A man at an Adventist campmeeting came up to George,

one of the presenters, and said, "Congratulations! You are talking with the only

man on this entire campground who hasn't sinned in three weeks! George's answer was classic, "And what other lies have you told today?" Here was someone who did not need God's perfect and complete work. He thought he was doing well on His own. How much are you like this man–focused on your work rather than on God's?

Illustration #2–Ask, how familiar does this sound to you? You come to the end of another Friday afternoon. You are frantically trying to finish the cleaning and cooking before sundown. Hurriedly, you finish the last of the vacuuming; you jam the vacuum in the closet and slam the closet door; exhausted, you crash on the couch just five minutes before sundown. You did it! You finished before Sabbath! You have time now to rest and recover from all your Sabbath preparations. What is your focus? (Getting all your work done.)

Illustration#3–Let's change the previous illustration a little. You come to the end of another Friday afternoon. The buzzer on the oven goes off. You run to take the cake your mother asked you to bake out of the oven. On your way, you trip over the dirty clothes waiting to be washed. The phone rings. You pick it up. It is your mom. She will be late getting home from work and wants you to run to town to get some cat food because there is none in the house. You grab your coat and five dollars. On your way out the door, you yell at your little brother to put the clothes in the washer. When Mom gets home she finds a wet load of laundry in the washer, a load getting wrinkled while waiting to be folded, the floor unvacuumed, and a sink full of dishes. Mom looks disappointed. You feel bad because you tried so hard, but you were not able to finish. When Sabbath arrives, no one notices. Mom is still finishing cleaning up the kitchen, you are in your room with a headache, and your little brother is torturing the cat. Does this describe your Friday afternoons? Has the real meaning of the Sabbath got lost in all the busyness? Are you ready to give up and accept the fact that your work is never going to be good enough? Are you willing to receive the Sabbath as a gift because God's work is good enough?

Illustration #4–Tell a story about a time when you were more focused on your own work than God's work on the Sabbath.

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

•	The whole point of the Sabbath is to teach me that there are things that God can do that I can never do, and that He has done which I will never contribute to. Do you believe that? (Do not ask for responses now.)

•	How much did Adam and Eve contribute to God's creation?

◦	Nothing

•	How much had they done to deserve the gift?

◦	Nothing

•	On the eve of the first Sabbath, Adam and Eve found themselves in a unique position. They were alive and being given dominion of a world they did not create or contribute anything to, and they are given the blessing of the Sabbath. What were their options?

◦	They could have chosen to disobey and immediately have started tending the garden, or they could have chosen to rest in God's perfect and complete work.

Application–"Make it Personal!"

•	How about you? You have the same options that Adam and Eve had. How are you being convicted today?

•	Who here needs the message of the Sabbath–you recognize that no matter how hard you try, your work is never perfect, nor complete? What would you like to say to God?

The Sabbath, Part 2

Genesis 3:5 and John 19:30

Introduction

Review the previous study on the Sabbath:

•	In light of the previous study, how would you summarize the meaning of the Sabbath?

◦	The Sabbath is about God perfect and complete work.

-	Why do we rest on the Sabbath?

▪	As a reminder that I cannot contribute anything to God's perfect and complete work and because I have done nothing to deserve such a generous gift.

The Facts–"Just the Facts, Ma'am."

•	How long did this wonderful situation last?

◦	We do not know, but it only gets two chapters in Genesis.

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

•	(Groups) What did the snake imply about God's work in Gen. 3:5?

◦	That it was not perfect, nor complete.

-	How did the snake attack the perfection of God's creation?

▪	He said to Eve, "your eyes will be opened." This implies that something was wrong with her eyes–that they were less than "very good."

-	How did the snake attack the completeness of God's creation?

▪	He said to Eve,"and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Implies that there is more–that she can become more complete.

•	What did the snake imply would make God's work perfect and complete?

◦	Eve's work, by eating of the forbidden fruit! (When we try to complete God's work, we are buying into that lie. Have you ever heard someone say something like, "But I know I've got to contribute something" when talking about salvation? This kind of statement is rooted in Satan's lie.)

-	In reality, how much could Adam and Eve contribute to making God's work more perfect or complete?

▪	Nothing–they were not even alive until it was already perfect!

•	Eve believed the serpent's lies, and what happened to God's creation?

◦	God's creation was no longer perfect.

•	And if it is no longer perfect, what else is it no longer?

◦	Complete

•	In light of the creation story, what does God keep doing until His work is perfect and complete?

◦	Working (Side note–Jesus supports this idea in John 5:17 when confronted about doing good on the Sabbath.)

•	I am going to take a leap with you now to look briefly at God's work in another place. Read John 19:30. What was finished/completed?

◦	Jesus' work as sacrifice–prefigured in the sacrifices of the outer court of the sanctuary service.

•	If it was finished, what else was it?

◦	Perfect (Jesus lived a perfect life.)

•	What did He do next?

◦	He rested on the Sabbath in the tomb and did not rise again to enter the next phase of His work until Sunday morning, after the Sabbath!

•	(Groups) What is the significance of Jesus' work for you being perfect and complete at the cross?

◦	I do not have to render perfect and complete work to be saved.

◦	I cannot add anything to it.

Take a look at Heb. 10:14 to see again what Jesus has done for you by His sacrifice–"For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." By the way, did you know that Christianity is the only religion where you start off perfect? Every other religion in the world has man slowly, painfully, working his way back to God. The God of the Bible is the only God who says, "I'll accept you just as you are. I don't have a checklist of things you must do before you can come to me. I know you can't do them anyway. You have a debt you can't repay, but I want you to be with me, so I'll take your debt on myself." Isn't that good news? Can somebody say, Amen? This is the message of the Sabbath.

•	How is our situation similar to that of Adam and Eve in the Garden when God gave them the Sabbath?

◦	We are as incapable of doing anything to deserve salvation as Adam and Eve were of doing anything to deserve creation. (Paul tells us in Eph. 2:5 that "we were dead in our transgressions" when Christ made us alive in Him. Can a dead body do anything to deserve being resurrected?)

◦	We have the same choice–to receive His work as a gracious gift or to reject it and focus on our own work instead.

Let's Illustrate!

Illustration #4–After hearing this message about the Sabbath, Sheila

decided that she would leave whatever she did not have time to get done

unfinished on Friday as a reminder that her work could never be perfect, nor complete. The cat hair all over the floor all day Sabbath reminded her; the bits of food stuck to the kitchen counter and sink piled high with dishes reminded her. Sheila tried her best to have things clean and in order before the Sabbath. She wanted to prepare for the Sabbath as one would prepare for the arrival of a very special guest. But when time ran out, she stopped, looked at her unfinished work, and praised God that the Sabbath was about God's perfect and complete work given to her as a gift and not about her own work. What an incredible opportunity God gives us each week–to praise Him that the Sabbath is about His work and not our own.

Illustration #5–Tell a story of a time when you experienced the real message of the Sabbath--you recognized that your work would never cut it, and you received God's grace–you rested in His perfect and complete work given to you as a gift.

Application–"Make it Personal!"

•	Who here is being convicted by the message of the Sabbath? You recognize that your work is never perfect, nor complete. You believe that Jesus has offered you His perfect and complete work at the cross as a free gift. You want to receive that gift and rest in His work today. What would you like to say to God?

•	How might the message of the Sabbath transform your Sabbath experience?

•	How might the message of the Sabbath transform your entire week?

•	In light of this understanding, what could you say to someone who asks you why you do not do something on Sabbath? (E.g.–"I take a whole day away from my own work to remember how good God's work is, and so I do not become dependent on my own work to get me to heaven.")

Let's Sing!

Sing the response, "Thank you, Lord"–"Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free."

◦

•	There is even better news today. Can you handle even better news than that? If you are believing today that what Christ has done for you at the cross is perfect and complete, you will have additional opportunity to praise Him for another work that He is doing in you.

◦	Growing me up to completion. (Phil 1:6–Some versions of this text use the phrase "perfect it" when speaking of Christ's completing work. The word to "perfect" here in Greek means to complete or to accomplish.)

The Facts, "Just the Facts, Ma'am."

•	Take a look at Phil. 1:6. Who began the good work in you?

◦	He did. Christ Jesus.

•	And who does Paul say will finish the job?

◦	He will

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

•	Looking back at Heb. 10:14, what is this completing work referring to?

◦	Sanctification, which means being made holy.

NOTE–So, after resting in His completed work as our perfect sacrifice, Christ rose again on Sunday morning to begin His new work of sanctifying us, or recreating us back into God's image.

•	Remind me of who does this sanctifying work in us?

◦	Christ

•	So tell me who does not get the credit.

◦	Me.

NOTE–Aren't you glad God isn't just in the business of forgiving us? Forgiving isn't difficult for God. It comes naturally to Him; He is generous and forgiving by nature. But how kind would it be to forgive us, but not grow us up to maturity? Sin is painful and destructive. How kind would it be to perpetuate someone's selfish and destructive habits by giving them eternal life in which to suffer the effects of sin. God is good; He does not count our sins against us, and He does not condemn us to repeating them forever. He is in the restoring business as well as the forgiving business. Amen?

Let's Illustrate!

Illustration #1–Before Mike was a believer, he used to enjoy going to the

local dance hall with his friends. He described his conversion experience this

way: "My habit had been to take a route home from the station that went past the dance hall. Not long after my conversion, I got off the train at the station and, out of habit, took the route home past the dance hall. I stopped before going in, however a friend saw me, came out, and began urging me inside. I managed to pull myself away. I also determined to take a different route home from then on. For the rest of the time that I lived there, I took my new route. Thirty years later, I returned to the town to visit. As I got off the train at the same station and began walking, I noticed something very interesting. Without thinking about it, guess which way my feet turned? Toward the route home that did not pass by the dance hall! The new habit had completely replaced the old!" Mike discovered through his experience that God actually replaces old habits with new ones. He experienced God's restoring work in his life.

Illustration #2–Share a personal testimony of how God has restored you from a destructive habit or attitude.

Interpretation–"What Does It Mean?"

NOTE–Perfect and complete–both justification and sanctification are God's work, and the Sabbath is the sign of both. The Sabbath is a 24-hour dramatic reminder of–not I, but Christ. It reminds me that I must rest from my attempts to save myself–both to justify myself before God and to sanctify myself. The good news today is that, though you are growing up to maturity, you are not condemned because God has already declared You perfect in Christ. Do you believe it? It is yours by faith.

Can you begin to see why the Sabbath is such a big deal? Any other day of worship is man's invention. It becomes a way of saving ourselves, of making ourselves holy and acceptable before God.

•	By the way, how possible is it to get the day right and not be resting in God's perfect and complete work?

◦	Very possible. (Just look at many Seventh-day Adventists who have turned the Sabbath into a work we do for God, so He will be pleased with us?)

•	(Groups) How would you know if you were taking over God's work?

◦	If you get elated when your work gets recognized as being good or if you get depressed when it goes poorly. ("In the heart of Christ, where reigned perfect harmony with God, there was perfect peace. He was never elated by applause, nor dejected by censure or disappointment. Amid the greatest opposition and the most cruel treatment, He was still of good courage. But many who profess to be His followers have an anxious, troubled heart, because they are afraid to trust themselves with God. They do not make a complete surrender to Him; for they shrink from the consequences that such a surrender may involve. Unless they do make this surrender, they cannot find peace. {DA 330.3})

•	How possible is it to get the day wrong and be resting in God's perfect and complete work?

◦	Very possible. ( Many Sunday keepers have a correct understanding of salvation.)

•	So who needs to change? (Trick question.)

◦	Both

•	Of the two groups of people, who is more likely to change?

◦	Those who live by the principle of the Sabbath will find it relatively easy to accept the day.

Let's Illustrate!

Eric, a young born-again Baptist, believed in God's perfect and complete

work on his behalf. He had some Seventh-day Adventist friends who he often

studied the Bible with. He heard about the Seventh-day Sabbath and often spent Sabbaths with his friends, though he did not consider Saturday to be any different from the other days of the week. His friends did not pressure him about the Sabbath. They trusted that because Eric lived the message of the Sabbath, when he heard how that message is encapsulated in the Sabbath, he would understand it and receive it fully.

Eventually, Eric began teaching the Bible. At an inductive training seminar, Eric realized that if he was going to be teaching people about God's Word and asking them to take it seriously, he needed to make a decision about what he was going to do with God's law. Eric had attended traditional Adventist evangelistic meetings. He had heard all the traditional arguments surrounding the Sabbath, but he was unimpressed. He approached some friends who took him through this study. Eric described his experience this way: "I had come ready with all my list of arguments and questions about the Seventh-day Sabbath. But when I saw Jesus and the gospel so embedded in the message of the Sabbath, none of my arguments seemed relevant." From that day on Eric has been observing and celebrating the Seventh-day Sabbath.