Is the Sabbath Precious to You?
Is The Sabbath Precious to You?
Introduction
As we begin today, I would like to read something to you that Sister White wrote about the Sabbath.
“In the warfare to be waged in the last days there will be united, in opposition to God's people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will be the great point at issue, for in the Sabbath commandment the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.--3SM 392 (1891).” {LDE 124.1}
The Sabbath will be the great testing truth in the final battle between Christ and Satan. So, doesn’t it make sense that we should be well-grounded, spiritually-oriented experts on the Sabbath—knowing why the day of worship is the seventh day, what the meaning of the Sabbath is, and how to keep it Biblically? And it’s not enough to know all about the Sabbath intimately and accurately in theory. We also need to live out what we know—i.e., we need to keep the Sabbath holy the way God intends that we should, right?
What Day Is the Sabbath?
The Sabbath in the Old Testament
When does the Sabbath first appear in the Bible? Genesis 2:1-3
The Sabbath first appears in the Bible in the creation story. It is the seventh part of creation.
What did God do to the seventh day creation? Genesis 2:3
The Lord blessed and sanctified the seventh day at creation.
How do we know that the creation reference to the seventh day is the first reference to the Sabbath, since Genesis 2:1-3 refers to this day as the seventh day and doesn’t use the word Sabbath?
Referring to the seventh day of creation in the Fourth Commandment, the Lord calls it the Sabbath.
“For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Genesis 20:11
And when did the Lord bless and hallow the seventh day? At Sinai? No. At creation.
What does it mean to sanctify something?
It carries the meaning of being made holy and set aside for holy use. From Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the word sanctify has this definition:
“To separate, set apart or appoint to a holy, sacred or religious use.
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. Genesis 2:3.”
Since God is holy and everything He does is holy, when He set the seventh day apart for holy use, who was He setting it apart for: Himself, or someone else?
Jesus answers this question. He said:
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man….” Mark 2:27
Where is the next place in the Bible that the Sabbath appears? Exodus 16:12-31
The next overt reference to the Sabbath in the Bible is in Exodus 16, when the Lord gave manna to the Israelites. He gave them manna six days of the week, but none on the Sabbath. And when some people went out to gather manna on the Sabbath, the Lord responded with a question. He said, “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?” Exodus 16:28
Some claim that the Sabbath didn’t exist until Mount Sinai, but we have to ask—and no insult intended: does Exodus 16 come before or after Exodus 20?
Is the Sabbath only for the Jews?
Absolutely not. In Isaiah 56:1-7, the Lord reveals that strangers—i.e. Gentiles—who join themselves to the Lord join in keeping the Sabbath. So, it’s just like Jesus said: “the Sabbath was made for man.” Mark 2:27
From front to back, from beginning to end, the day of worship in the Old Testament is the seventh-day Sabbath.
The Sabbath in the New Testament
A question worth its weight in gold is, what day did Jesus keep holy?
Jesus kept the Sabbath.
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Luke 4:16
“Of course He did,” some will object, “He was Jewish.”
True enough, Jesus was Jewish. But let me ask you this: what is a Christian? In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus indicates that a Christian is someone that believes that He is the Son of God. So, the million dollar question is, was Jesus a Christian? Well, did He believe that He was the Son of God? Yes. So, guess what that makes Jesus? He was a Christian, too. Jesus was a Messianic Jew—which is another name for a Christian. Consequently, being both Jew and Christian, Jesus is the example for both—including His example of Sabbath keeping.
Did the Sabbath survive Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection—i.e., did Jesus’ death, burial, or resurrection result in a change of the day of worship?
Yes, the Sabath survived Jesus' death, burial, aND resurrection. Prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, a time almost 40 years after His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus indicated that the Sabbath would still be recognized by valid, in place, and recognized by Him.
“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” Matthew 24:20
Is there any evidence that Jesus’ followers kept the Sabbath after Jesus’ resurrection?
Yes. Paul preached the gospel to Gentiles during a worship service on the Sabbath. A.fter preaching in the synagoguee on Sabbath is Pisidia of Antioch, the story continues this way:
“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” Acts 13:42-44
Notice that Paul didn’t say to the Gentiles, “You don’t understand. The reason I’m here today is because if I want to find the Jews together, I have to come here on the Sabbath. However, the new day of worship, the day for Christians, is Sunday. So, meet me at the city park tomorrow and I’ll preach to you then.” Instead, he preached to them on the next Sabbath. And there’s one more thing here: after the service ended, “many Jews and religious proselytes (i.e. Gentiles) followed Paul and Barnabas, and Paul “persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.” So, do you see it? Jews and Gentiles that were keeping the Sabbath were “in the grace of God”—and entirely without any new day of worship. That’s because Sabbath keeping is entirely consistent with grace and a relationship with God that’s based on His grace received—as we’ll see in the next few points.
The Sabbath and the New Covenant
When was the New Covenant officially ratified?
The New Covenant was ratified when Jesus died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins.
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament [is], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament [is] of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Hebrews 9:15-17
Could any changes be made in the New Covenant after Jesus died and ratified it?
No.
“Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though [it be] but a man's covenant, yet [if it be] confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.” Galatians 3:15
We see that Jesus both understood this fact, and lived and worked in harmony with it. How? Because of when He established the Lord’s Supper as a Christian rite.
Of what is the Lord’s Supper a commemoration?
The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of His death for our sins.
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.” 1 Corinthians 11:26
When did Jesus establish this commemoration of His death?
He did so before He died.
See Luke 22:15-20
But commemorations are instituted after the events transpired that they are to commemorate. So, why does Jesus institute the commemoration of His death for us before He died? Because He understood that once ratified, no additions or subtractions could be made to the terms of the New Covenant. Therefore, if we were to have the Lords’ Supper as a Christian rite, He had to insert it into the New Covenant before He died, because it could never be added afterwards.
How many references to Sunday, the first day of the week, are there in the New Testament?
There are eight.
See Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1 & 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1 & 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2.
What do all of the references to the first day of the week have in common?
All of them refer to first days of the week that fall after Jesus’ death on the cross. Consequently, none of them serve as evidence that the day of worship was changed from the seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week. And you see, if the day of worship wasn’t changed before Jesus’ death on the cross, it could never be changed afterwards. (See the tract, Why the Old Covenant Failed, by Joe Crews, available from Amazing Facts. It makes this point very plain.)
So, what then is the day of worship in both the Old and the New Covenants, in both testaments and throughout all time?
The seventh day Sabbath.
And do you realize what this means, then? It means that those who refuse to keep the Sabbath are not in any covenant the God made—not entirely. And since the New Covenant shields us from the demands of justice for our sins, how much good will it do people to remain partially outside of the protection of the New Covenant?
Think about it like this: God’s grace is an umbrella that shields us from a coming deluge of justick for our sins. So, how much good would it do to have an umbrella with one of the sections of its canopy missing?
What will happen to willful Sabbath breakers at Jesus’ Second Advent?
They will be destroyed. Consider the evidence:
The Sabbath is the sign that God is the One who sanctifies His people.
“Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I [am] the LORD that sanctify them.” Ezekiel 20:12
What will happen to those who are not sanctified by the Lord—who have chosen to reject that sign that God is the One who sanctifies them?
“For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 66:15-17
As with those who eat unclean meat, those who reject the Sabbath “shall be consumed together.”
What day will God’s people keep as the day of worship in the earth made new?
The Sabbath.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 66:22 & 23
From the very beginning, before sin entered our world, the Sabbath was the day of rest and worship. During the entire length and breadth of the Old Testament, the day of rest and worship was the seventh day Sabbath. Jesus Himself, our perfect example, kept the Sabbath. Moreover, through the length and breadth of the New Testament the day of rest and worship remained the Sabbath; and from when this world is over on through the ceaseless ages of eternity, the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment will remain unchanged. It was, and is, and forever will be the seventh day Sabbath of creation.
The Meaning of the Sabbath
In order to understand the meaning of the Sabbath, we have to go back to the very beginning, to creation. Sister White wrote in Patriarchs and Prophets,
“God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate upon His power and goodness. He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator.” {PP 48.2}
“Essential” and “needed” are mighty strong words to be using in the context and setting of perfection, aren’t they? Why was the Sabbath “essential” and “needed” there? Well, the answer to this question reveals the real meaning of the Sabbath. Let’s look into it.
Adam and Eve’s first full day of life was a day spent with the Lord Jesus. He didn’t make them, and then give them a whole week of exploring everything before they spent time with Him. Instead, they spent a day with Him before they went out and explored things on their own. Why did He do things in this order?
Well, Adam and Eve didn’t know Jesus yet. Acquaintance with someone is based on time spent together communicating. Consequently, on the day of their creation, they were unacquainted with their Creator. They didn’t have a knowledge of Jesus at this point. They were incomplete in this regard. Their capacity to know Him was complete. However, until they spent time with Jesus, they wouldn’t be complete as far as knowing Him is concerned. But they were not incomplete in other ways—on the day they were created—and it was these other ways that made it necessary for them to spend their first day resting with Jesus.
As Adam and Eve came from the Creator’s hand, they came forth perfectly able to experience pleasure and delight. And as they explored the fair earth, that’s all they would experience—delighted surprise and joyous pleasure as each new turn. Like and interests would form as they discovered the things Jesus had made. Direction for their lives would begin to be established and take shape as they became acquainted with the world they lived in. And lest their loyalty—i.e., their expectation for happiness—should fall to the gifts God had made for them rather than to He who is the Giver of them, they needed to first become acquainted with Jesus, and then go out and explore His creation on their own. See the point?
Rather than allowing their faith to be placed in the pleasure that they experienced in response to becoming acquainted with the wondrous works of God, the Lord knew that their loyalty needed to be placed in Him as they became increasingly acquainted with Him—the Giver of these delightful things. They needed to understand that the joy that they found continually welling up in their hearts was not the result of the wonderful things that they discovered at every turn. Not at all. They needed to look deeper and see that their growing delight flowed out of a growing acquaintance with Jesus and His heart’s intentions toward them as expressed through the things that He had made for them.
A children’s storybook I read once come to mind here. It dealt with the fall of Adam and Eve. The picture shows Adam looking at his beautiful wife who is standing there with the forbidden fruit in her hand as she is inviting Adam to eat if with her. The author makes the point that when Adam chose to eat the fruit, it was because he chose to love his wife more than God. And that’s exactly what happened. Adam chose Eve over Jesus.
Well, Eve was a gift that God made for Adam. Adam was a gift that God made for Eve. And their experience demonstrates that the gifts that God has made for us can rival even God Himself in our affections! How important, then, that we prioritize the spiritual above the material—otherwise we will become materialistic to the bone!
Our earliest childhood experiences are, in fact, formative experiences. How we’re treated and what we experience early on shape our conceptions of life and reality—in other words, they tell us “the way things are.” They paint a picture in our hearts and minds that becomes our point of reference—the standard by which we measure everything that comes after. How important, then , that our childhood experiences and childhood training be accurate—lest we start life with a warped perspective.
Well, to Adam and Eve, this was their childhood. Although they were created as fully-grown and with the ability to communicate and think at an adult level, yet they were newborn babes with regard to experience and knowledge. And Jesus did not overlook this. As newborn babies first learn from the example and in the context of a loving relationship, so Jesus made Adam and Eve’s first full day of life a day of loving relationship with Himself. You see? It only took one day for them to learn this lesson—that Jesus was the Creator and Giver of all that they would enjoy in life. After all, they were created with perfect, adult learning potential. So, they learned very quickly. And after they learned this lesson, they were prepared to go out and discover the world and experience life on their own.
To have related to these innocent, inexperience new people any other way would have been to indelibly impress on their innocent hearts and minds a different lesson—a different concept of life and reality. And that was not something that Jesus would allow to happen. He loved them, and us through them, too much!
So, you see, the lesson of that first Sabbath is that life is about relationships—loving relationship with God first, and with each other after that. (After all, Adam and Eve did spend their first day together, with Jesus.) And the message of each successive Sabbath since creation is that life is still about relationships. The Sabbath serves as a shield to protect against the desolating inroads of materialism; and the call to remember the seventh-day Sabbath from week to week is the call back to our roots, back to the day when Jesus Himself taught us that relationships are more important than things
Every week when we worship the Lord on His day of rest that He gifted to us, we declare that we accept His definition of reality—that life is about loving relationships, with Him first and with each other after that. Moreover, we reaffirm our commitment to the Lord and others, and acknowledge that we cannot improve His plan.
Gladness comes from accepting and enjoying the gifts Jesus made for us; and the Sabbath calls us to remember the Giver and the love His gifts express. It reminds us that God and people are more important than things. And as we carry with us into each new week this lesson that the Sabbath teaches, it will enrich every day of the week and all of the people we meet, as we relate to everyone as more important than any thing else in life.
How to Keep the Sabbath Wholly
The way that we affirm our agreement with God’s relational scheme of life as taught by the Sabbath is by keeping the Sabbath holy. So, we need to look carefully into just what keeping the Sabbath holy means.
“In establishing new churches, ministers should give careful instruction as to the proper observance of the Sabbath. We must be guarded, lest the lax practices that prevail among Sundaykeepers shall be followed by those who profess to observe God's holy rest day. The line of demarcation is to be made clear and distinct between those who bear the mark of God's kingdom and those who bear the sign of the kingdom of rebellion.” {6T 353.1}
As we try to determine what is appropriate and what is not appropriate during the Sabbath, let me ask you this: has the Lord Jesus given us a list of what we can and can’t do on the Sabbath, or has He given us a set of principles, the honest application of which will guide us to holy Sabbath keeping? Instead of rules, the Lord Jesus has given us principles of Sabbath keeping. Let’s look at them; but before we begin, let’s consider two examples of proper Bible interpretation:
Revelation 1:7
Matthew 28:1
Is it ok to work on the Sabbath?
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [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: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11
There is something higher to occupy our time on the Sabbath than work. There is God and family and fellowship with church family!
“When the Sabbath commences, we should place a guard upon ourselves, upon our acts and our words, lest we rob God by appropriating to our own use that time which is strictly the Lord's. We should not do ourselves, nor suffer our children to do, any manner of our own work for a livelihood, or anything which could have been done on the six working days.” {2T 702.1}
By the way, when does the Sabbath begin? So, when on Friday would we be breaking the Sabbath should our work extend beyond that time? (Sunset)
“During the week our energies will not be so exhausted in temporal labor that on the day when the Lord rested and was refreshed we shall be too weary to engage in His service.” {6T 354.3}
Is housework ok on the Sabbath?
“And he said unto them, This [is that] which the LORD hath said, To morrow [is] the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake [that] which ye will bake [to day], and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” Exodus 16:23
“On Friday let the preparation for the Sabbath be completed. See that all the clothing is in readiness, and that all the cooking is done. Let the boots be blacked, and the baths be taken. It is possible to do this. If you make it a rule, you can do it. The Sabbath is not to be given to the repairing of garments, to the cooking of food, to pleasure seeking, or to any other worldly employment. Before the setting of the sun, let all secular work be laid aside, and all secular papers be put out of sight. Parents, explain your work and its purpose to your children, and let them share in your preparation to keep the Sabbath according to the commandment.” {CG 528.2}
“We would charge all not to wash their dishes on the Sabbath if this can possibly be avoided. God is dishonored by any unnecessary work done on His holy day. It is not inconsistent, but proper, that the dishes should be left unwashed till the close of the Sabbath, if this can be managed.--Letter 104, 1901.” {3SM 258.4}
“The Sabbath should be as sacredly observed on the camp-ground as it is in our homes. We should not let the bustle and excitement around us detract from its sacred dignity. No cooking should be done on that day. The instruction which God gave to Israel should not be disregarded: &Bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe;& for &tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord.& Exodus 16:23. God meant what he said when he gave these directions; and shall we, who are presenting to the people the claims of the divine law, break that law ourselves, merely to please the appetite? -- God forbid. There has sometimes been almost as much cooking done on the Sabbath as on other days; and the blessing of God has been shut out by our failure to honor him in keeping the Sabbath according to the commandment.” {GosHealth, April 1, 1898 par. 15}
Is all work prohibited on Sabbath?
“And, behold, there was a man which had [his] hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift [it] out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” Matthew 12:10-12
Can we have others work for us on the Sabbath?
“But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [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
Examples:
Realtors
Property managers
Grounds workers
Restaurant workers
Gas station employees
Airlines workers
Etc.
Is it ok to actively engage the labors of people who, of their own volition, choose to work on the Sabbath?
“In those days saw I in Judah [some] treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all [manner of] burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified [against them] in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing [is] this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and [some] of my servants set I at the gates, [that] there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do [so] again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no [more] on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and [that] they should come [and] keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, [concerning] this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.” Nehemiah 13:15-22
Are we to prepare for Sabbath beforehand?
“And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath.” Mark 15:42
“While preparation for the Sabbath is to be made all through the week, Friday is to be the special preparation day.” {6T 354.4}
“God requires that His holy day be as sacredly observed now as in the time of Israel. The command given to the Hebrews should be regarded by all Christians as an injunction from Jehovah to them. The day before the Sabbath should be made a day of preparation, that everything may be in readiness for its sacred hours. In no case should our own business be allowed to encroach upon holy time. God has directed that the sick and suffering be cared for; the labor required to make them comfortable is a work of mercy, and no violation of the Sabbath; but all unnecessary work should be avoided. Many carelessly put off till the beginning of the Sabbath little things that might have been done on the day of preparation. This should not be. Work that is neglected until the beginning of the Sabbath should remain undone until it is past. This course might help the memory of these thoughtless ones, and make them careful to do their own work on the six working days.” {PP 296.1}
Are we to pursue our own interests on the Sabbath?
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words.” Isaiah 58:13
There are many things done on the Sabbath today. Things like:
Attending church
Playing sports
Nursing home outreach
Travel
Community service projects
Raking leaves
House repairs
Passing out literature
Talking about work or leisure activities
Watching secular TV
Etc.
How do we determine what’s acceptable on the Sabbath?
In determining what would be considered our own ways and pleasures and words, a guiding principle that will help us is the fact that there is a difference between the holy and the non-holy. And please consider how important this distinction is to Jesus. The following verses give insight:
“And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.” Leviticus 10:8-10
“Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed [difference] between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.” Ezekiel 22:26
“And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23
In light of God’s concern that the line between holy and common be sacredly guarded, let’s ask ourselves some questions.
Is it holy…or common—and why?
Talking about business or hunting, etc.?
Playing sports—basketball, baseball, soccer, football, swimming, tennis, etc.?
Shopping?
Mowing the church lawn?
Driving to an after Sabbath activity on the Sabbath?
Buying gasoline?
“Every working of Christ in miracles was essential, and was to reveal to the world that there was a great work to be done on the Sabbath day for the relief of suffering humanity, but the common work was not to be done. Pleasure seeking, ball playing, swimming, was not a necessity, but a sinful neglect of the sacred day sanctified by Jehovah. Christ did not perform miracles merely to display His power, but always to meet Satan in afflicting suffering humanity. Christ came to our world to meet the needs of the suffering, whom Satan was torturing.--Letter 252, 1906.” {3SM 258.3}
“Above everything, take care of your children upon the Sabbath. Do not let them violate it, for you may just as well violate it yourself as to let your children do it. When you suffer your children to play upon the Sabbath, God looks upon you as a commandment breaker. You transgress His Sabbath.--Manuscript 3, 1854.” {3SM 257.3}
“Dear children, are you as careful as you should be in keeping the Sabbath? You have something to do besides laying aside your work and amusements on that day. If you, on that day, lay plans of what you will do when the Sabbath is past, or talk of your work, amusements and clothes, you pollute the Sabbath. The Prophet has in another chapter told us how to keep the Sabbath from polluting it, and nothing short of doing as he has pointed out will be keeping the Sabbath holy.” {YI, February 1, 1853 par. 2}
&If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, [that is, from treading it down, or breaking it,] from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words,& &c. {YI, February 1, 1853 par. 3}
Should coming into God’s house have any affect on how we dress?.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.” Exodus 19:10 & 11
“Especial care will be taken to dress in a manner that will show a sacred regard for the holy Sabbath, and the worship of God. The line of demarkation between such a class and the world will be too plain to be mistaken.” {2SM 476.1}
“Many need instruction as to how they should appear in the assembly for worship on the Sabbath. They are not to enter the presence of God in the common clothing worn during the week. All should have a special Sabbath suit, to be worn when attending service in God's house. While we should not conform to worldly fashions, we are not to be indifferent in regard to our outward appearance. We are to be neat and trim, though without adornment. The children of God should be pure within and without.” {6T 355.2}
Does holiness change with the times?
There’s one last important point about holiness and Sabbath keeping. Let me ask you this: does holiness change as time goes on?
Before you answer, please consider Leviticus 11:45, and Malachi 3:6:
“For I [am] the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy.” Leviticus 11:45
“For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6
Not only does the Lord tell us that He’s holy, He also tells us that He never changes, right? So, does holiness ever change? No. So, do holy practices morph with human culture as human culture evolves? Or should there be a consistency about how the Sabbath is kept holy across time?
In some ways, we need to return to the past regarding how we observe the Sabbath.
We need to go back to the future.
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].” Jeremiah 6:16
“Far more sacredness is attached to the Sabbath than is given it by many professed Sabbathkeepers. The Lord has been greatly dishonored by those who have not kept the Sabbath according to the commandment, either in the letter or in the spirit. He calls for a reform in the observance of the Sabbath.” {6T 353.2}
Why is this so?
“There are those who are watching this people to see what is the influence of the truth upon them. The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light; when the claims of the fourth commandment are set before them, they look to see how it is regarded by those who profess to obey it. They study the life and character of its advocates, to learn whether these are in harmony with their profession of faith; and upon the opinions thus formed many are influenced very largely in the acceptance or rejection of the truth. If this people will conform their lives to the Bible standard, they will be indeed a light in the world, a city set upon a hill.--Manuscript 3, 1885.” {3SM 260.1}
“A partial observance of the Sabbath law is not accepted by the Lord and has a worse effect upon the minds of sinners than if you made no profession of being a Sabbathkeeper. They perceive that your life contradicts your belief, and lose faith in Christianity. The Lord means what He says, and man cannot set aside His commands with impunity.” {4T 248.1}
Our Sabbath keeping reveals how precious Jesus is to us--how much we love the Giver about His gifts. So, when the Sabbath is precious to us, it's because Jesus is precious to us.
Is the Sabbath Precious to you?