THE SABBATH AND

WORSHIP

Lesson 3 for July 16, 2011

 THE SABBATH

MEMORIAL OF

CREATION REDEMPTION SANCTIFICATION

AUTHOR OF

JESUS
 THE SABBATH
“For in six days the Lord made the
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
hallowed it” (Exodus, 20: 11)
“And remember that you were a
slave in the land of Egypt, and the
Lord your God brought you out from
there by a mighty hand and by an
outstretched arm; therefore the Lord
your God commanded you to keep
the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy, 5: 15)
"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”
(Exodus, 31: 13)
JESUS
“For by Him all things were created that
CREATION
are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and
for Him” (Colossians, 1: 16)
“whom we have redemption through His
REDEMPTION
blood, the forgiveness of sins”
(Colossians, 1: 14)
SANCTIFICATION “And you, who once were alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now He has reconciled in the body of
His flesh through death, to present you
holy, and blameless, and above reproach
in His sight” (Colossians, 1: 21-22)
 REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR

“By the word of the Lord were

God is the Creator of everything
(Genesis, 1: 1)
In Hebrew language there is a
verb that only applies to divine
creation: bará.
No one can create anything
(bará) like God creates space,
time, matter or energy.
the heavens made, their starry
host by the breath of his
mouth. He gathers the waters
of the sea into jars; he puts
the deep into storehouses. Let
all the earth fear the Lord; let
all the people of the world
revere him. For he spoke, and
it came to be; he commanded,
and it stood firm” (Psalm 33: 6-9 NIV)

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift
your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out
the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great
power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing” (Isaiah, 40: 25-26 NIV)
 REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR
When we worship our Creator on Sabbath, we avoid two wrong
concepts about God.
1. If God is the only one who can create, we didn’t come to
existence thanks to a spontaneous evolution.

“It is I who made the earth and created

mankind upon it. My own hands stretched
out the heavens; I marshaled their starry
hosts” (Isaiah, 45: 12 NIV)
 REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR
2.
2. IfIf God
God created
created us,
us, we
we "To
"To whom
whom will
will you
you compare
compare me me
must
must notnot worship
worship Him
Him or
or count
count meme equal?
equal? To To whom
whom
through
through woodwood or
or metal-
metal- will
will you
you liken
liken meme that
that we we may
may
made
made idols
idols that
that we
we be
be compared?
compared? Some Some pour
pour outout
could
could create.
create. gold
gold from
from their
their bags
bags andand
weigh
weigh outout silver
silver on
on thethe scales;
scales;
they
they hire
hire aa goldsmith
goldsmith to to make
make
it
it into
into aa god,
god, and
and they
they bow
bow
down
down andand worship
worship it. it. They
They lift
lift
it
it to
to their
their shoulders
shoulders and and carry
carry
it;
it; they
they set
set itit up
up in
in its
its place,
place,
and
and there
there it it stands.
stands. From
From
that
that spot
spot itit cannot
cannot move.
move.
Though
Though one one cries
cries out
out toto it,
it, it
it
does
does not
not answer;
answer; it it cannot
cannot
save
save him
him from
from hishis troubles”
troubles”
(Isaiah,
(Isaiah, 46:
46: 5-7
5-7 NIV)
NIV)

“No-one stops to think, no-one has the knowledge or understanding to say,

"Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted
meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I
bow down to a block of wood?"” (Isaiah, 44: 19 NIV)
 REMEMBER YOUR REDEEMER
Another reason why God told Israel to keep the Sabbath was that
they could remember how He had freed us from the slavery of
Egypt (Deuteronomy, 5: 15)
In the same way, we remember how God freed us from the
slavery of sin when we worship Him on Sabbath (Romans, 6: 16-
23)
God uses the same power He used to free His people from Egypt
to free his sons from sin and its slavery.

“But God be thanked

that though you were
slaves of sin, yet you
obeyed from the
heart that form of
doctrine to which you
were delivered. And
having been set free
from sin, you became
slaves of
righteousness”
(Romans, 6: 17-18)
 REMEMBER THE ONE WHO SANCTIFIES YOU

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in
it He rested from all His work which God had created and made”
(Genesis, 2:3)

When we worship the One who sanctified the Sabbath, we are sanctified by Him.
We are called to a different life, living far from sin and consecrated to service God.

“But now having been set free from sin, and having become
slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end,
everlasting life” (Romans, 6: 22)
Accomplishing our
mission is an important
part of this process of “Fear God and give glory to
sanctification: we must Him, for the hour of His
be living witnesses of judgment has come; and
what God does in those worship Him who made heaven
who worship Him, and and earth, the sea and springs
we must deliver the final of water” (Revelation, 14: 7)
message to this world.

REMEMBER THE ONE WHO SANCTIFIES YOU

 BENEFITS OF THE SABBATH
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest” (Matthew, 11: 28)

We rest in Jesus, accepting His invitation.

We rest emotionally, psychologically and
spiritually.
We get rid of the load of sin, fault and fear.
We enjoy physical rest.
We change the rhythm of our mind and spirit.
We feel relief of our burdens and the stress of
our daily life.
We strengthen our mental sharpness and
physical strength.
We acquire a feeling of identity: we are created
in the image of God and we belong to Him.
We become intimate with our Creator.
It gives us hope for the future (Isaiah, 66: 23)
“Great blessings are enfolded in the observance of the Sabbath, and God desires
that the Sabbath day shall be to us a day of joy. There was joy at the institution of
the Sabbath. God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands. All things
that He had made He pronounced “very good.” Genesis 1:31. Heaven and earth
were filled with rejoicing. “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. Though sin has entered the world to mar His
perfect work, God still gives to us the Sabbath as a witness that One omnipotent,
infinite in goodness and mercy, created all things.

Our heavenly Father desires

through the observance of
the Sabbath to preserve
among men a knowledge of
Himself. He desires that the
Sabbath shall direct our
minds to Him as the true and
living God, and that through
knowing Him we may have
life and peace”

E.G.W. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, sec. 6, “The observance of the Sabbath”, pg. 349)