Subject: The Creator Chose the Seventh Day as the Sabbath

Scripture Reading: Exodus 31: 12 - 18

Memory Verses: Exodus 31: 14 - 15

 

Note: At creation there was only one pair of people (neither called Jew nor Gentile). God stamped His seal of authority on the seventh day. It was He, the sovereign Lord, who having created the heaven and earth and the host of them, paused on the 7th day to look at His masterpiece and said it was good. Being satisfied with His work, God blessed, sanctified (set apart), and hallowed (made holy) the 7th day as the Sabbath of the Lord. This day was made for man (Jew and gentile alike, Mark 2: 27 & 28). Each Sabbath we come in unison with God, acknowledging Him as creator and Lord of the Sabbath.

 

1. After years of Egyptian bondage, where and how did God remind Israel of the seal that He placed on the 7th day from creation? Exodus 16: 1 - 3, 13 - 26, 20: 8 - 11

 

2. What distinguishes the 7th day from the other six days? Genesis 2: 1 - 3, Exodus 31: 17, 35: 1 - 3

 

3. When Jesus first came, did He change the day, that hallowed day to another? Matt. 5:17 - 18; and where would He be found on the 7th day (the Sabbath)? Luke 4: 16; and what about the messenger to the Gentiles? Acts 13: 44, 17: 2, 18: 4 & 11

 

Note: ‘The law and the prophets’ (Matthew 5: 17) speak to the laws of God, both moral and civil, that were given by God to Moses and the words spoken by the prophets of the Old Testament.

 

4. Are charitable acts permitted on the Sabbath? Matt. 12:10 - 16, Luke 13: 10 - 13

 

5. On the occasions when the first day of the week is mentioned in scripture, is there any indication of it being a rest day or a day sanctified for any special purpose? Matthew 28: 1, Mark 16: 2, Luke 24: 1, John 20: 1 & 19, Acts 20: 7, 1 Corinthians 16: 1 - 2

 

6. How did James express the rationale for keeping all the commandments? James 2: 10 - 12

 

7. Why is the 7th day still the Sabbath of the Lord? Numbers 23: 19, Malachi 3: 6, Matthew 5: 17, Exodus 31: 14, Hebrews 13: 8

 

8. What credentials give believers right to the tree of life? Revelation 22: 14

 

Note: In the days of the apostles, believing in Jesus and teaching in His name caused much controversy. All the original apostles except John died for preaching and teaching in His name. In Acts 2:22-36 Peter declared that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and convinced many that without their acceptance of Jesus their salvation was vain. Today, most Christians acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. However, the 4th commandment sparks controversy. Like Jesus then, the Sabbath is not readily accepted today. Soon the very same power that opposed Jesus will enforce laws to punish Sabbath keepers. To obey God rather than man is still a cause worth dying for.