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From the Sabbath to the Savior

Sunday, July 17, 2022
Pastor Jojo Ma

Weekly Bulletin | Worship Lyrics

Exodus 31:12-18

 

12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between Me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” 18 And He gave to Moses, when He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

What was the Sabbath for ancient Israel? Why was Sabbath-keeping so important for them? Is the old covenant Sabbath now the new Lord’s Day worship? And what are Sundays for, for we who believe on Christ today?
I.          A new place [vv12-13]
II.        A new purpose [vv12-13]
III.       A new penalty [vv14-15]
IV.       A new prominence [vv16-17]
V.        A new promise [Matt 11:28]

I.         A new place [vv12-13]
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths…”

There isn’t a one-to-one correlation between Sabbath and Sunday worship, but there is a principle here about honoring God together and resting in Christ and worshiping Him.

II.        A new purpose [vv12-13]
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.”

Israel was to keep the Sabbath so that God’s people would know the Lord and be sanctified as they got to know Him. And just like anc Israel, we grow in Christ-likeness as we invest in knowing God and spending time with Jesus. There’s just no other way. If we want to be sanctified, we need to grow in the knowledge of God.

III.      A new penalty [vv14-15]
14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

So this penalty was appropriate. Knowing God was, and is, the most important thing a human can spend their lives doing. Cut yourself off from Him, then you dig your own grave.

IV.       A new prominence [vv16-17]
16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between Me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.

When we look at the New Testament and the early church, we find a prominent shift of worship from Saturday to Sunday, from the 7th day to the 1st day.

V.        A new promise [Matt 11:28]
Matt 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

2 Cor 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

It is vital that we today understand the Sabbath commandment through the lens of the New Testament or the New Covenant. What did Jesus and the apostles say about the Mosaic covenant and the Sabbath commandment? Did the old covenant Sabbath worship become the New Covenant Lord’s Day worship?

Heb 4:1-3 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest.

Heb 4:9-10 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.

Col 2:16-17 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

While the Sabbath commandment is gone, the Sabbath principle remains. It's wise for all of us to have rest. We can’t always be working. So work into your life…rest.

Matt 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.