12/10/2004 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

This month the world makes a huge deal out of celebrating one day out of the year, a "Holi-Day" called "Christmas"

Tonight I would like to share some things concerning a Holy Day that all the world ignores.. one that should be kept every week!

In the scriptures it is written:

Exodus 20:8 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

This is quoting from the Ten Commandments that Yahweh gave at Sinai

Sadly, the one commandment out of the Ten that we are told to remember.. is the one that is most often forgotten by those who claim to be believers in the bible.

We are told to Remember the Sabbath. What is the Sabbath?

Let's continue reading:

Exodus 20:9 - Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Exodus 20:10 - But the seventh day is the sabbath of YAHWEH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exodus 20:10 - But the seventh day is the sabbath of YAHWEH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

And why?

Exodus 20:11 - For in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YAHWEH blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

So the Sabbath is something considered to be important enough to Yahweh---that He kept it Himself

It was, in fact, the last act He did as part of Creation

Today, many believe that the Sabbath day is no longer on the 7th day of the week, but on the 1st day of the week.

They claim that the Sabbath day has been changed in the "New Testament"

The excuse that is commonly used to change the Sabbath to the first day of the week is: The Messiah rose on the first day of the week, so we keep that day instead

But to this I must ask, Rest & worship Him on the first day, then work six days? Where is this in scripture?

The truth is, there is no scripture anywhere in the bible to support such a statement, but it is simply a justification to continue in the status quo, which was established by post-apostolic christians and later validated/enforced by the Catholic church.

If we are going to come up with extra-biblical allegories to support our day of worship/rest, wouldn't it make more sense that we rest when He rested (when He was in the grave) and we rise to work again as the Savior did ("I go and prepare a place for you", John 14:2-3)?

But we really don't need to come up with an allegory to support the day of worship & rest. We can simply look to the Ten Commandments to find the answer.

The directive in the 10 commandments is so clear, that it would take a far clearer directive than just a passing mention that they were gathered one time on the first day of the week

The truth is that we could search from Genesis to Revelation and not find a single verse that institutes a new day of worship. If it was changed, surely we would expect to find clear authorization somewhere in scripture. But it is nowhere to be found. Therefore, by what authority has it been changed? Ask any Catholic priest and they will tell you.

To be sure, let's examine the New Testament and see what the 7th day is called.

Acts 13:42 - And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

Here, it is called the "Sabbath"

Acts 15:21 - For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

Again it is called the "Sabbath Day"

Acts 16:13 - And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

Again it is called "the Sabbath"

Acts 17:2 - And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Yet again!

Acts 18:4 - And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

And again!

The truth is that we could search from Genesis to Revelation and not find a single verse that institutes a new day of worship. If it was changed, surely we would expect to find clear authorization somewhere in scripture. But it is nowhere to be found. Therefore, by what authority has it been changed? Ask any Catholic priest and they will tell you.

The first day of the week is never called the "Sabbath". It is simply called the first day of the week. The seventh day of the week is always called "the Sabbath" in the Old and New Testament

But is it necessary to keep the Sabbath?

We are told in the Ten Commandments to "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy". Notice that we are to "keep" it holy. It is already a holy day because it was sanctified at creation according to Genesis 2:3.

Genesis 2:3 - And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Elohim created and made.

We are simply told to keep it holy the way our Creator did. He kept it holy by resting on that day. We are told that six days we work but on the seventh day we rest. It's that simple.

But if we want to keep holy another day, we are wasting our time because there is no other day of the week that is holy to begin with. You will not find any scripture declaring the holiness of the first day of the week. Man thought he could do better by keeping another day holy, but in doing so he profanes the day that actually is holy.

Many people today decry the fact that the Ten Commandments were removed out of a courtroom

But if we believe in keeping the Ten Commandments then we must, of necessity, also believe in keeping the Sabbath. We cannot say out of one side of our mouth that we believe in keeping the Ten Commandments and out of the other side of our mouth say that we believe the Sabbath has been changed or abolished. This would be double talk.

Is the 7th day for Jews and the 1st day for Gentiles?

There is no evidence in scripture that the Heavenly Father wanted to separate the Jews and Gentiles within the body of Messiah. In fact, the Messiah was to do just the opposite

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in the Messiah Yahushua.

Galatians 3:29 - And if you are the Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Some might say that the Sabbath was for the Jews only because the Old covenant was with Israel

But according to Paul, Gentiles become Abraham's seed through Yahushua.. and are thus: ISRAEL

Therefore all the covenants and promises are for believers in Yahushua also

If this were not true, Gentiles could not be partakers of the new covenant either because the new covenant is also with Israel according to Jeremiah 31:31.

Jeremiah 31:31 - Behold, the days come, saith YAHWEH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

The new covenant is NOT with Gentiles. It is only with Israel & Judah

We cannot distance ourselves from the Sabbath because the old covenant was with Israel and then embrace the terms of the New Covenant because the New covenant is also with Israel, not Gentiles.

Gentiles become Israel (Abraham's seed) through the Messiah according to Galatians 3:29. Even in the Old Covenant, the Sabbath was for Gentiles as well

Isaiah 56:6 - Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to YAHWEH, to serve him, and to love the name of YAHWEH, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

Isaiah 56:7 - Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

And again..

Exodus 12:49 - One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Not two laws, one law. Yahweh doesn't hold a double standard because He is not a respecter of persons!

Now some would say to me that the Sabbath is the one commandment out of the Ten that isn't repeated in the New Testament.. therefore it is no longer to be kept

First of all, Yahushua and the Apostles didn't need to go around telling people to keep the Sabbath. It was the way of life in those days!

There are a number of things that are not repeated in the NT, but are still observed by mainstream Christians today.

For instance, there is no commandment in the New Testament forbidding a woman to wear a man's garment. There is no commandment forbidding bestiality, tatoos, being cruel to animals, taking interest from brethren, taking bribes, etc.

There is no commandment in the NT that says a person should take 10% of their income and give it to the church.

But don't you dare say that is done away with :)

Brethren, there are a host of excuses as to why people don't want to do what Yahweh says. Let's not fall prey to any of them, but rather reprove the unfruitful works of darkness.

But the Ten Commandments are not multiple choice. The fact that they are written in stone signifies the finality and eternity of all ten of them. We should be far removed from any teaching which causes one of the Ten Commandments to be sawed out, cut out, removed, changed, abolished or set aside in any way. It is no more acceptable to break the Sabbath every week by profaning the day He made holy than it is to commit adultery or murder once a week

If it is, then our Creator didn't really mean what He said and the push to keep the Ten Commandments today is simply a joke.

Now some would ask, what do we do on the Sabbath?

Let me say that those who do not keep the Sabbath are missing out on a great blessing.

When we have one day out of the week that we can withdraw ourselves from the world and its influences and concentrate on keeping the day holy by worshiping, praying and studying the scripture, it truly strengthens our faith and a keeps us growing spiritually.

Just to give a little example of how much the Sabbath can do this, allow me to share a personal example of how the Sabbath has enriched our spiritual lives. My family and I have a special meal on Sabbath evenings just after sundown.

We call it "Special Sabbath".

We get out our best dishes, put on our best clothes and let our children choose the meal they would like. We set a place for our Savior at the table, knowing that He is in the midst of where two or three are gathered.

He gets the best dishes and placemat. We even use cloth napkins, and we have a candlelight dinner. During the meal we talk about the week and the things we gained spiritually.

After the meal I get out the guitar and we sing praise to our Creator. Then I bless my children and my wife.

It is a very special, very memorable time for all of us. We rejoice and long for that special time at the end of the week that we can rest from worldly cares and focus on what's really important in life.

It is always a blessing to do exactly what our Heavenly Father asks us to do and certainly He knows what is best for us.

Some have asked for more specifics on what is good to do on the Sabbath and what is not good

Some examples of things that are good to do:

Resting/sleeping, Reading Scripture, Reading books about Yahweh, Worship, Meeting with brethren, Listening to His word, Enjoying Creation, Studying, Sabbath Games, Memorizing Scripture, Learning about Creation, Special Sabbath meals, Talking about Yahweh, Doing Yahweh’s pleasure, not our own, Helping others, Praying, Learning Hebrew and keeping a Holy Conversation.

Some examples of things that are not good to do on the Sabbath:

Going to work, Cooking, Cleaning, Raking Your Yard, Mowing the Lawn, Building Your House, Entertainments, Buying/Selling, Going to Restaurants, Riding bikes, Playing wordly games, Reading books unrelated to Yahweh, starting fires and fighting or arguing (unholy conversation).

Suppose for a moment there was a man who had seven sheep

He commanded his son to sheer all of the sheep except one very special sheep that he intended to keep separate from all the others because he had set it apart and bestowed a special blessing on it.

But then the son then went and sheered the sheep that the father had set apart and chose to preserve another sheep instead.

Did this son do the will of His Father?

I think we know the answer.

Rather than choosing what we think is best, I encourage everyone to consider doing what He thinks is best.

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

The Father chose to set apart the seventh day of the week. Ought we not to do the will of our Father?

The saints are those who do His commandments and cleave to the faith of Yahushua

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of YAHWEH and the faith of Yahushua.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Revelation 22:15 - But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Don't believe the lie that deceived Eve in the garden, "Hath Yahweh said?"

Yahweh has said for us to keep the Sabbath day holy. He didn't set it apart at creation and ask us to remember it, only to tell us later to forget about it or keep another day!

Matthew 5:18 - For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:19 - Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Yahushua meant every word He said, yes?

And He also set an example for us, that we should walk in His steps

1John 2:3 - Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

1John 2:4 - He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1John 2:5 - But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of YAHWEH is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

By this we know we are in Him

1John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

And if Yahushua lives in you... Bring an abundant blessings in your life by following the example of our Saviour and keeping holy the day that our Father made holy to begin with.

It is high time that we listen to our Father and keep holy what He made holy.

Father knows best.

The original is always the best, accept no substitutes.

May Yahweh bless you and have mercy on us all!