Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath – Hit the Mark

It has finally arrived – the lesson topic on which everyone is an expert. The one topic we love to talk about above all others – the Sabbath. Yes, you can put your Bible and study guides down right now and let the free-flowing discussions begin.

photo by Curtis Hall

I can hear the Sabbath school discussions right now, “When I was growing up we used to do this and that regarding the Sabbath.” Yes, there will be lots of reminiscing about the good ole days of Sabbath keeping. It may be suggested that 30, 40 or 50 years ago the methods of keeping the Sabbath were the right ways compared to the ways the Sabbath is kept today.

Others will feel the need to state their positions on what others are doing wrong regarding their observance of the Sabbath. We can’t have a Sabbath School lesson on the topic of the Sabbath without discussing the “don’ts”, can we? You’re not supposed to do this or that, some will forcefully state.

Another sure line of discussion will be a reminder to the choir that because we “keep” the Sabbath we are indeed God’s special children. Can I get an Amen? Nothing like the chance to discuss the weekly indicator of our religious superiority. If there is no other way to distinguish us from everyone else, the Sabbath will do the trick.

But just maybe, there will be someone sitting in Sabbath school wondering if they are missing something when it comes to the Sabbath. The Bible states that we should call the Sabbath a “delight.” But for far too many the Sabbath is far from being a delight; it’s just something we are supposed to do.

Yes, if the music at church is good and the preacher is interesting and the Sabbath dinner is tasty, Sabbath will be okay. But if those elements are missing our sense of satisfaction is far from being a delight. Has the Sabbath boiled down to enjoying the best events connected with our local church?

I can only speak for myself, but I am convinced that I have sabotaged my relationship with the Sabbath by ignoring one primary element – communion with God through nature. I am not just talking about a walk in the park after a big Sabbath dinner. I am talking about an intentional, devotional period each Sabbath where I begin to see and appreciate the power of God in nature.

“The Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into communion with the Creator. In the song of the bird, the sighing of the trees, and the music of the sea, we still may hear His voice who talked with Adam in Eden in the cool of the day. And as we behold His power in nature we find comfort, for the word that created all things is that which speaks life to the soul. Ellen White, Desire of Ages, pages 281, 282

For my own Christian walk I need to better understand who God is. I need to come to a point in my relationship where I trust that the same power of God I see in nature is available to me as I go through my monotonous and many times stressful daily events.

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Luke 12:27, 28

I need to better understand that He who made the Sabbath holy has the same power to make me holy. Keeping set rules and practicing moral behavior is just not enough. I need a heart change and that is beyond my power to produce.

“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” Exodus 31:13 NIV

Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:

What does “observing the Sabbath” mean to you?
What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy?
Is it possible to keep a day holy if the person is not holy? Why or why not?
Is it true that the main purpose of the Sabbath is to come together for worship? Why or why not?
What did Jesus mean when he declared that He was Lord of the Sabbath?
What did Jesus mean when He said that The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath?
What, if anything, can be learned in nature that cannot be learned from a church service?
What, if anything, have you learned about God through nature?

We close this week’s lesson on Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath with Isaiah 40:26-29:

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!

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Comments

Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath – Hit the Mark — 14 Comments

samwel choi on April 28, 2015 at 7:34 pm said:

Keeping the Sabbath holy begins from your mind,what you do say,think,eat or how do other people see the Sabbath through you. Actually the Sabbath is doing good that's why even Jesus asked if your cow fell in adeep hole will you leave it there until Sabbath ends?? No! Then He said if you can rescue just an animal why not help your neighbour whatever he or she doesn't have so that he can join you in worshipping?? Maybe he has no food and your fridge is full of 3 day's menu,he has no cloth and your wardrobe if full until you can't select which one to wear,that's why it's important to know one's needs. If we have brotherly kindness that's what keeping the Sabbath holy means.

So Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath knew the need of his disciples and didn't ask them why they plucked some grain because He knew they were saving their lived from starving. So if we can only abandon the Sabbath and save a soul is better than going to church the whole day and you can't even share a plate with a believer seated next to you and you say you are keeping the Sabbath holy.

The Sabbath was made for man to enjoy it not to be a burden, enjoying means you glorify God in truth n spirit. Tell Him your problems you get relieved,share with others whatever you don't understand,have enough time with your creator. Imagine from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, enjoying being with your boss, but others find it hard to keep those hours and they only go to church in the morning very late, and leave very earlier but believers always comes back in the afternoon. Let's learn to be true christians,the Sabbath is the only seal of our identity. Let's not follow the other churches. Let's do what the scripture says our salvation is even nearer than we first believed,may the peace of our Lord Jesus chest be with you all. Amen

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Shirley DeBeer on April 28, 2015 at 8:44 pm said:

I believe that the LORD created variety and when we commune with Him in a variety of ways we will experience Him more fully.
It is good to fellowship together in a large gathering of like minded people, it is good to go alone or with a small group into nature, it is sometimes even good to spend the day just you, the LORD and His Word.

We can be led astray if we concentrate on what to do, or not, on Sabbath. What is important? Not how to keep the Sabbath holy. What is important is with whom do we spend the Sabbath and why we spend the day with Him.

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Gerald Buck on April 29, 2015 at 4:01 am said:

I never heard anything about the Sabbath until the age of 33. Never even heard of the Seventh Day Adventist church until I was 32.
I grew up in a home that wasn't even nominally Christian.
I have struggled with the 'correct' way to 'keep' the Sabbath all these years.
Thank you for this article it has given mt a place to start to discover what I need to know.

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Nomqhele Mhlanga on April 29, 2015 at 7:40 am said:

I believe the sabbath is the day that God set aside for us to reconnect with him as our Creator. It is a good day to do honorable things for others, it can be at church or in the community. It is a day to worship God, to recognise, acknowledge and share his attributes with others. I would also say it is a good time to reflect on his love and a time to study more about God and his creation. By appreciating nature, the planets we learn of his greatness and we realise how much we need him.

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Elisha Lameck on April 29, 2015 at 8:40 am said:

Sabbath is the moment of happiness, deliverance, peaceful and others seeing Christ in You, letting others know Christ lives in you, and mostly important is perpetuating God's love to others through helping them and giving your time to offer help. May God bless you all.

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Amy (last name?) on April 29, 2015 at 9:38 am said:

Worship - in thought and deed. Rest and re-create - in mind and activities. For us this often includes getting ready for Sabbath on Thurs and Fri - preparing food and clothing, making plans for an excursion into nature. Friday night is usually quiet time and going to bed early. Sabbath morning is getting ready to go to church for worship, sometimes we attend potluck, and sometimes we have someone over for lunch. The afternoon is often an excursion into nature alone, with family, or with friends if the weather is nice, or to stay at home to R&R. The Sabbath is indeed a blessing. I can feel the Holy Spirit gently speaking to me that I could be doing other things too, please pray for all Sabbath-keepers to be willing to listen and obey His Holy Spirit. To be open to ideas that are right and proper Sabbath keeping also. Ideas and activities Jesus would approve and participate

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Simbarashe Chirenje on May 1, 2015 at 9:46 am said:

I'm sorry to go opposite the grain coz I strongly believe the sabbath is no longer kept and revered as yesteryear.Our forefather used to fast woldly activities on sabaths eg. One was not supposed to engage in sexual intercourse on friday night and for ladies on period it was taboo for them to walk softly in the sunctuary. These things were taught publicly even for new comers to know but these days you hardly here these lessons being taught.Everyone does as he/she supposes like during the judges times.

What did God mean by saying to Moses 'tell the children of Israel to sunctify themselves before they come to me.'David had to ascertain the the prophet that his boys were clean before eating the HOLY BREAD from the HOLY TEMPLE. Are we still like that? Or should we mourn old golden days like Niniveh?

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- Tyler Cluthe on May 1, 2015 at 9:45 pm said:
  
  Simbarashe, I realize that many in the church see our denomination as backsliding and not doing what we used to do. To me there is a golden balance between being too lax and being down right legalistic.
  
  We could be like the Israelites before the Babylonian captivity that forgot the law entirely or like those living under the judges where, "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Jdg. 17:6 NKJV). Or, we could be like the Pharisees of Christ's time that were so fixated on law that they didn't know what it was to be Godlike having love and mercy. Somewhere between the two is where I think we should be.
  
  God said, "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father" (Isa. 58:13-14 NKJV). Ha, then if I enjoy eating for me to have a meal on the Sabbath is a sin isn't it? I don't think it is beneficial for us to be masochistic or to be like a monk involved in a vow of austerity and poverty. We need to be realistic and see the Sabbath as a real blessing to us and everyone around us. We are to gather all the stress and sweat created during the week and lay it at Jesus' feet and let Him dispose of it.
  
  The Sabbath is indeed to be a delight but how can it be when it is piled up to the sky with all those legal requirements that say, "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using-- according to the commandments and doctrines of men" (Col. 2:21-22 NKJV). Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:27 NKJV). In saying that He wasn't loosening our obligation to the law but was putting the law in its correct relation to us. The law was made to benefit man, not make a slave of him.
  
  We say we shouldn't do this or that but God never got so nit-picky but rather gave broad principles for us to apply. Things like the prohibition concerning building a fire on the Sabbath was given because in that age to do so required a lot of work but where do we draw the line. We can take it so far that to even walking to church could be breaking the commandment - that is what the Pharisees did with the law and it became a burden, "which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:10 NKJV).
  
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Johm Chacha on May 1, 2015 at 11:44 am said:

Not only does keeping the sabbath bring us bountiful blessings but also it works as a therapy for our minds & souls.Imagine how exhausted we become with our daily hustles,how clogged our minds turn for the stressful lives we lead at times!God has asked us to remember the sabbath.He hasnt stopped here,He wants us to keep it holy.There's alot of treasure to walk home with when we keep the sabbath according to the law.If our earthly fathers disperse us with gifts from family meetings we attend,stewards enjoy allowances upon meeting with their masters!Isn't our heavenly father going to exceedindly & abundantly reward us for our obedient weekly meetings with Him?

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Elijah Maina on May 2, 2015 at 12:05 am said:

The sabbath is the only time we r able to fully recconect with our creator....we find the true meaning of our lives. If we could just keep it holy our lives will be transformed and we would be longing for this day every day of the week

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Paul Blanke on May 2, 2015 at 1:26 am said:

Tyler You have answered my question under another post and thread. I hadn't seen this thread and your reference to Isaiah 58:13,14. There are some very daunting details such as, speaking your own words, that leave us to wonder, what is the scope of that stipulation? We can find delightful things rather easily. I wonder if "speaking your own words" is not part of a list of things that together are indications of an intentional determination to profane the Sabbath? As mentioned we as SDA give more importance to Sabbath observance than any other denomination that I know of. We also have many different ideas as to what this means. Trying to please God, takes more than we can accomplish on our own. A lasting, meaningful, relationship with the father should be our goal.

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- Tyler Cluthe on May 2, 2015 at 8:31 am said:
  
  Paul, if your approach to Sabbath observance is to please God even by trying to establish a relationship then I think we should probably consider what Jesus said to those who were a friend to Him but looked fearfully to the Father. "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you" (Jn. 16:26-27 NKJV). Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9 NKJV) but you know I can't find in all the gospels where Jesus ever criticized His disciples for improper Sabbath observance and I don't think they were perfect with respect to that command. In fact, the entire set of beatitudes (Mat 5:1-11) was an effort to lift up the sunken heads of those who knew they were sinners, who thought they had almost no chance of eternal life because of what they had been told and telling them that God loved them in spite of their sin and would not forsake them even though they were condemned under the law - I think the same goes for us as well.
  
  Satan has convinced man that God is automatically mad at us who takes pleasure in seeing us suffer and die in a grand act of wrath against those who don't do exactly what He wants. So, if we feel that we have to somehow appease God then we are actually no different than the pagans who believe the lies and sacrifice to their God in order to eliminate wrath. Christianity is not like that! Our religion is one where God sacrifices to His creation in order to reconcile them to Himself. It is a kind of reverse appeasement to lower our wrath toward Him instead of His wrath toward us. Because of that, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:27 NKJV) to me it was given to make us happier.
  
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Amy Meyer on May 2, 2015 at 1:30 pm said:

I am wondering what people think of Jesus saying that even David ate the shewbread... so it was ok for Himself and the disciples to eat the grain from the field. Was it justification of the deed, or a statement to proclaim His own authority to the leaders who just were thick/and/or fearful about Jesus and His mission, or both? or something else...
Maybe He was pointedly showing that the Pharisees were 'majoring in minors' and were missing the mark

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- Paul Blanke on May 3, 2015 at 12:01 am said:
  
  Amy, I don't know what others think. The reason for Jesus mentioning David and the showbread in Matt 12:2-8 was only one of two examples for the consideration of the Pharisees that were accusing Jesus and His disciples of breaking the Sabbath keeping law. Jesus used examples that the Pharisees would be familiar with as well as point out there error that they held as law.
  
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