Let's take our Bibles now and
turn back to Exodus chapter 31. The lesson tonight is concerning
the Sabbath day. My boss asked a young man to
work on a Sunday one time. And he said, oh, he said, I can't
do that. I can't do that. I'm commanded
of God to keep the Sabbath day Holy. And vast numbers of men
and women around the world believe in a literal, physical keeping
of the Sabbath day, and believe by refusing to go to their jobs
on Sunday, they keep this day hallowed or holy to the Lord. Now I want to start right here. Every law, every ceremony, every ordinance
of the law was given to teach us something about the gospel. That's why it was given. Before
the object of faith had appeared, Paul says in Galatians, that
we were kept under the law, now listen to this, shut up to the
faith which should afterward be revealed, wherefore the law
was our schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ to be justified
by faith. Those old timers who kept the
Sabbath day then keep it exactly the way we keep it today. Those
who truly knew the Lord. The law of God was given to show
us our need of a Savior. It was given to show us what
our Savior must be and what He must do to save us from our sins. And I'll tell you this, the law
in any other light is a curse. It's a curse. Don't be sucked
into it. Don't say, well, I believe you're right on this thing of
grace. I believe you all are right on that. I believe you're
right on all these things. But we're just going to be circumcised
just in case. We're just going to keep the
Sabbath just in case. Paul said if you transgress that
law in one point, you're guilty of the whole law. And I'll tell
you this, you can sooner touch that mountain of God that was
on fire and the rocks were rent and quaked and smoke rose from
it and the people ran away from it and said, Moses, you go talk
to God. You can sooner touch that mountain
and live than you can the law of God by your own power. and
by your own works, you can sooner touch that mountain. You will
die just as surely as they died who touched that mountain. Listen
to this. Galatians 3, verse 10 said, for
as many as are of the works of the law, that is those who have
hope in their doing of the law, in their accomplishing of what
this law states, in their own works, those who are of the works
of the law, now listen to this, are under the curse. They are
under the curse. For it is written, Cursed is
everyone who continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. Now in the light of these
things, let's look at the Sabbath as it was given of God. First
of all, let me ask this question, why was the Sabbath given? Why
did He say He gave it? Did He give that day to test
their faithfulness? Did He give this day to see if
they were holy? What was God's purpose in giving
the Sabbath? Well, He tells us right here
in Exodus 31, 13. He said, it is a sign between
me and you throughout your generation. that you may know that I am the
Lord who do sanctify you." In other words, your sanctification
is in me. It's in me. The very name of
our God is Jehovah Kedesh, the Lord that does sanctify you. What in the world Can a holy
day do or show to manifest the sanctifying work of God concerning
His people? Well, it declares the everlasting
rest accomplished by this sanctifying work of God on our behalf. That's
what it has to do with. This sanctification is a threefold
work. We're sanctified by God the Father.
Now, here's what I'm saying. This day, God gave this day,
this Sabbath day, like a memorial that you might remember Him and
acknowledge Him as the God who sanctifies you. And we're sanctified
by God God the Father, first of all, He tells us over in the
book of Jude, we're sanctified in eternal election before the
world began. God the Father sanctified us,
set us apart from other men. There's no difference in us in
time. We're all born under the curse. We're all sinners under that
curse of God. By nature, children of wrath,
even as others, we all had our same conversation, same as they
did, drank in the same bars, used the same words. Stole like
they stole. We are sanctified by God. Back
yonder in eternity, God the Father set apart a people to redeem
through His Son for the glory of His name. So we are sanctified
by God the Father before the foundation of the world. Listen
to this. Paul said, Be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. And then secondly,
we are preserved in Jesus Christ, Jude tells us. The second work
of God in sanctification is the accomplishing of the redemption
of God's elect through the person and work of Christ. He sanctifies
us by His work. He tells us in 1 Corinthians
1, verse 30, of Him, of God, is He made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. All things concerning the priesthood,
the sacrifices, and the tabernacles were established first, which
are clearly typical of Christ before the commandment of the
Sabbath was ever given. Even so, until faith is given,
there is no possibility of keeping the Sabbath. You see what is
going on here? He gave them faith. He gave them
the tabernacle. He gave them and told them what
all these things were about. We have been studying them now
for several months, this tabernacle. He gave them all of those things
that they might believe. It says in Romans 3 that He sent
Him forth as a propitiation for our sins. He's talking about
those Old Testament saints. And even so, until faith is given,
there is no possibility of keeping the Sabbath. And we're told in
Hebrews 10, verse 7, that in the volume of the book, it was
written of Christ, that he would come and accomplish or do the
will of God. That is, the will of God in those
things written in the law which were shadows, figures, and types.
Verse 10, by the which will or the accomplishing of which will,
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. So God the Father sanctified
us by setting us apart in eternal election as the objects of His
mercy and grace. And the Son of God has sanctified
us in the accomplishing of His sovereign purpose of grace for
us and for as our redemption. We're sanctified through the
blood and righteousness of Christ once for all. And then thirdly,
we're sanctified by the Holy Ghost as He applies these things
to our hearts in regeneration, giving to us repentance and faith. If you read the book of Peter
in his first letter, his first general epistle that he sent
out to the churches, he called the saints to which he was writing,
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification
of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ. There's that threefold sanctification. That is, the purging of our guilty
conscience, seeing our sins, all taken away by the substitutionary
sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Our God is the God who sanctifies
us. And apart from this holy sanctification,
there is no rest. There is no possibility of rest.
And apart from having rest, the day cannot be kept. It was a
day of rest. In this day of rest, they were
to reflect upon this great work of God and find rest and satisfaction
in the God of their salvation. And then secondly, let me see
if I can show you tonight that Jesus Christ is our Sabbath.
He is our Sabbath. Somebody will say, now wait a
minute, when the church came along and God poured out the
Spirit, then that Saturday worship came over to Sunday and now we
have a Christian Sabbath. That's a bunch of malarkey. You
can't find that anywhere in the Word of God. It doesn't even
hint at it. Turn with me to Colossians chapter
2. Jesus Christ came and fulfilled
that law in every jot and tip. And in so doing, He manifested
the priesthood spoken of back in that tabernacle. He manifested
that mercy. He manifested all those ceremonies,
Colossians chapter 2. We do not keep certain days or
weeks anymore. When Christ came and died on
the cross, that Old Testament economy was done away with. Its
purpose was fulfilled, and to carry anything into the worship
of the New Testament is a denial of the sufficiency of Christ.
Paul said, when the Lord said, I came to do thy will, O God,
He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.
And the second being established, there is no further need of the
first, except as we are doing tonight, to look at them in their
true light and see them as they point to Christ. Now watch what
Paul tells the Colossians church here. Colossians 2, verse 8. He said, beware. lest any man
fool you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition
of men." What in the world is he talking about there? He's
talking about natural man's religious, traditional perception of God. That's what he's talking about.
He's talking about long time, worldly accepted religion. And he calls it vain, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments or basic principles of the world,
and not after Christ. And it's so important for you
to understand what this verse is talking about here. This is
talking about the natural reasoning and interpretation of the Holy
Scriptures by men who have not been sanctified of God. That's
what it's talking about. On occasion, I'll go somewhere
and I'll come home and I'll tell you some things that I saw. I
related to you some things that I saw while I was away preaching
at a church not too long ago where they were talking about
being born again without ever reading their Bible or hearing
a preacher and all that kind. That's natural reasoning. Natural
reasoning. If God birthed somebody, well,
he can birth them out in the field or birth them anywhere.
Well, you didn't read far enough in the Bible to find out how
He birthed His people. It's stated very clear. Not being
sanctified by the Holy Ghost and given the spiritual revelation
of Christ, traditional religion, worldly religion, Antichrist
religion, any religion that teaches anything contrary to the accomplished
redemption of Christ, any religion that bypasses the sanctification
of the Father, Those who teach universal salvation and universal
love. Any religion that denies man's
fall, free will decisionism and that type of religion. Any religion
that bases its hope on the will and works of men. It's not of
him, the scripture said, who witheth. That ought to be good
enough, shouldn't it? And religion that appeals to
natural reasoning of men. We are told time and again in
the book of Proverbs, there is a way that seemeth right unto
a man. He tells us in one place over
there, all man's ways are right in his own eyes. Isn't that what
he said? Now watch this, Colossians 2 verse 9. Don't be fooled by their philosophies
and vain deceit and religious traditions of men. For in him
that is in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,
and ye are complete in him which is the head of all principality
and power." Now listen to me. If something is complete, what
else does it need? If it needs something, it is
not complete, is it? There is no way you can twist that verse
around and make it mean anything except exactly what it says.
We are complete in Him. We have everything we need in
Him. If something is complete, what
else could be like it? So to add anything to it or take
anything from it is to totally deny its sufficiency. Watch this now, verse 11. in
whom also," that is, in Christ, in whom also, we are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. That
is, we were cut off in Him, buried with Him in baptism, wherein
also you are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of
God who hath raised Him from the dead. And you being dead
in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses." Now watch
this, verse 14, "...blotting out all the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to His cross." And having spoiled principalities
and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it." That is, Satan and all his ministers used the law,
and especially the ceremonies, to deceive lost men and women
in a self-righteous pretense, in what Paul later calls will-worship. And as Christ accomplished our
redemption with His final breath on the cross, He cried, And by
this accomplishment revealed the foolishness of deceived men
and women and they that are influenced by them to participate in it. Now watch this, verse 16. Let
no man therefore judge you in meat or drink or in respect of
a holy day or of the new moon, are you listening, or of Sabbath
days. Let no man judge you. by these
things, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body
is of Christ." Now, of all those things he mentioned there, all
those new moons, all that meat, and holy days, and Sabbath day,
Christ is the body. Those things were the shadow.
He's the fulfillment. He is our Sabbath day. When Brother
Don taught on this subject, he gave four reasons why those who
would insist upon you keeping the Sabbath day or me keeping
the Sabbath day, four reasons that show us and expose to us
that they themselves don't really keep the Sabbath day, nor can
you. He gave four things. I thought these things were outstanding.
First of all, because it must be observed on Saturday and not
Sunday. And they're saying that in the
keeping of Sunday, and not working on Sunday, and not doing these
things on Sunday, they're keeping the Sabbath day. You can't keep
the Sabbath day on Sunday. Sunday's the first day of the
week. That's the Lord's day. That's the day He rose from the
grave. The Sabbath is Saturday. It always
was Saturday. It always will be Saturday. It's
Saturday. You can't make anything else
out of it. And you can't find a hint anywhere in the Scriptures
where Sunday was called a Christian Sabbath. And then secondly, to
observe this day as the Sabbath, no work can be done on this day.
None. Not any kind. You can't go home
and prepare the meals. The meals on the Sabbath day
in the Old Testament had to be prepared ahead of time. You can't do anything. on the
Sabbath day. You can find that in Exodus 20,
verse 10. Very clear. And then thirdly,
to keep the Sabbath requires us to return to the ceremonial
law of the Old Testament, where we're bound to offer a double
sin offering, a double meal offering, and a double drink offering.
And these offerings must be given in the temple at Jerusalem. If
you're going to keep the Sabbath, you have to do this. You don't
just keep the Sabbath by crossing your hands and sitting in the
easy chair and watching TV on Sunday afternoon. That's not
keeping the Sabbath. Nor can you keep it just kneeling
down in your bedroom somewhere and praying you can't keep the
Sabbath. The Sabbath, if it's going to be kept as a literal
day, must be kept exactly the way it was set forth by God in
the Old Testament. You can find that in Numbers
28, verses 9 and 10. And then fourthly, and this really
nails the lid on the coffin of this whole thing, those who insist
on Sabbath keeping must also insist on the execution of all
those who do not keep it in the manner prescribed. Exodus 31,
15, you read it right there. He shall surely be put to death. Ain't that what I read to you
just a few moments ago? Now very quickly, let me give
you one more thing. All those who keep the Sabbath,
which we keep by faith in Christ, rest from their labors as God
did from His. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
4. We are told here that no man
truly believes who has not entered into rest. And here's what He
gives. He gives those unbelieving Jews, those
spies that went over to spy out that land which was a picture
of our rest. They went over there to spy out
that land. You remember they came back with an evil report.
And God swore in His wrath they're not going to enter into what?
His rest. You're not going to enter into
My rest. And then he goes on to tell us
in chapter 4 that, although for unto us, he said, was the gospel
preached, in verse 2, as well as unto them, but the word preached
did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest. We do. There's no possibility
that a believer won't enter into his rest. That is the point of
the whole thing. He is the rest. Come unto Me,
all you that are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest. Then watch this, verse 4, For
he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise.
And God did rest the seventh day from all of his works. That
was when God created the world. And in this place again, if they
shall enter into My rest, Seeing, therefore, it remaineth that
some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached
entered not in because of unbelief. Again, he limiteth a certain
day, saying unto David, Today, after so long a time, as it is
said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus," that word is Joshua,
if Joshua had given them rest, Then would he not afterward have
spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest
to the people of God, for he that is entered into his rest,
that is, that rest in God, that rest in Christ, he also hath
ceased from his own works as God did from his. Let us labor,
therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief. Let me give you, before I close,
just a few reasons why we can rest in Christ. I'm going to
tell you why I can rest in Christ. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 12,
because God Himself first trusted in Christ. Brian quoted that
scripture to me coming back from Mississippi the other night.
God trusted in Christ first. And then He says, in whom you
also trusted after you heard the Word of Truth. After you
heard what this thing was all about, then you trusted. You
trusted. Secondly, because in Him is all
the fullness of the Godhead engaged to save my soul. I'm complete
in Him. I can't get any more of God. working for me than in Christ
Jesus, because in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily." And isn't that what folks are saying? You do this
and you get close to God and you do that. You can't get any
closer to God than you are in Christ. You're one. We're one with Him. All grace,
all wisdom, all mercy, all love, all justice, all power, all righteousness,
all of it in Him. And then thirdly, because Christ
Himself bids me to come, come unto me, He said, and I'll give
you rest. And He tells us this, He said,
put my yoke, stoop that head down, and come up under my yoke,
and you'll find rest for yourself. And then fourthly, he tells us
this, because there is no rest anywhere else. I've been in religion,
there's no rest in it. I've been out there on my own,
there isn't any rest in it. There's no rest anywhere else.
Why would you want to go anywhere else? There's no rest. That's what he told them. He
looked out there and he saw all these money changers and all
these people dragging old goats and lambs that were sickly and
all of the things that was going on. It had just turned into a
business, into a coal drive ceremony. And he just, on the last day
of that feast, he cried out. He said, anybody out there, are
you weary? Are you weary of this mess? Come
unto me. and find rest. I'll give you
rest. Rest is in Him. He's the end of the law for righteousness. There's no righteousness outside
of Christ. He's our wisdom, our sanctification
and redemption. He is eternal life. He's our covenant head, and He's
our surety, and He's the one mediator between God and man. I am God who sanctifies thee. And when we rest in Christ, isn't
that what we think? Isn't that what we do when we
come in here to worship Him? If we reflect on those things?
That's what the Sabbath is all about. And our Sabbath is seated
upon the throne. The fulfillment of all those
things. Our rest is up there. And we keep that Sabbath in Him.