THE SABBATH 15/50

THE SABBATH                       15/50 Cambodia Basic English Series Ref: NIRV.  Slideshow available 1.  What is the Sabbath? 'Sabbath' means 'rest'. God commanded Israel to rest from their  work every seventh day on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 You must do your work in six days. But the seventh day will be your holy day. Isaiah 58:13. “Do not work on the Sabbath day. Do not do just anything you want to on my holy day. Make the Sabbath a day you can enjoy. Honor my holy day. Do not work on it. Do not do just anything you want to. Do not talk about things that are worthless. 2.  What the Sabbath Meant Under the Law of Moses. Before Jesus, Israel was under the law of Moses. There was a Sabbath every seventh day. Days in Israel began and ended at sunset.  The Sabbath was therefore kept from one evening to the next. Israel was commanded not to work on the Sabbath. There was to be no lighting fires or cooking and everyone was to stay in their place. Exodus 16:23. He said to them, “Here is what the Lord commanded. He said, ‘Tomorrow will be a day of rest. It will be a holy Sabbath day. It will be set apart for the Lord. So bake what you want to bake. Boil what you want to boil. Save what is left. Keep it until morning.’ 29” Keep in mind that I have given you the Sabbath day. That is why on the sixth day I give you bread for two days. All of you must stay where you are on the seventh day. No one can go out.” Exodus 20:10. But the seventh day is a Sabbath in honour of the Lord your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and your animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your cities. Whoever did any work on the Sabbath was to be put to death. Exodus 35:2-3. You must rest on it. Anyone who does any work on it must be put to death. 3 Do not even light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.” Every seventh year was also a Sabbath – there was to be no sowing or harvesting and no pruning of vines or gathering of grapes all year. Leviticus 25:4-5. “‘But the seventh year must be a sabbath for the land. The land must rest during it. It is a sabbath year in my honor. Do not plant your fields. Do not trim the branches in your vineyards. 5 Do not gather what grows without being planted. And do not gather the grapes from the vines you have not taken care of. The land must have a year of rest. 3.    Jesus Gave us True Rest. The Lord Jesus Christ gives true rest to his followers. Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. He made us free from the law.  Christians follow Jesus and the way he lived. Romans 8:2. I am now controlled by the law of the Holy Spirit. That law gives me life because of what Christ Jesus has done. It has set me free from the law of sin that brings death. 4.  What the Sabbath Means to Followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus did God's work on the Sabbath.  John 5:15-17. The man went away. He told the Jews it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath day. So the Jews began to oppose him. 17 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always doing his work. He is working right up to this very day. I am working too.” The Sabbath law was meant to stop Israel from doing their own work. They were meant to serve, worship and thank God for all that He had given them.  It was not meant to stop all activity. Matthew. 12:10-13. A man with a weak and twisted hand was there. The Pharisees were trying to find fault with Jesus. So they asked him, “Does the Law allow us to heal on the Sabbath day?” 11 He said to them, “What if one of your sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath? Won’t you take hold of it and lift it out? 12 A man is worth more than sheep! So the Law allows us to do good on the Sabbath day.” 13 Then Jesus said to the man “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out. It was as good as new, just as good as the other hand. We can still learn from the law. James 2:8 The royal law is found in Scripture. It says, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you really keep that law, you are doing what is right. The principle is to do good always, whether on the Sabbath or not. We honour God by not doing the things that we want to do. In John 21:18. Jesus taught Peter to follow him and to forget his own plans. We honour God by serving Him and Him alone on the Sabbath. Jesus taught that we should do this to rest from less important things. In Isaiah 58:13 we are told not to just do the things that we want to. We recommend that candidates study Learn to Read the Bible Effectively and God’s Plan With Man (Cambodia friendly versions) before preparing for baptism. Slideshows and translated versions of these are also available. See Lessons 13 and 14: Maps.