Creation Day 7

Year A, Quarter 1, Number 5 Hello boys and girls! Uncle Steve has a story for you today from the Holy Bible about the last day of Creation.

Day 7
Moses concludes the story of Creation in Genesis chapter 2, verses 1 to 3:
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Ge 2:1-3)

Jesus tells us in Mark 2 verse 27 whom He made the Sabbath for:

And [Jesus] said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (Mr 2:27)

From the top of Mount Sinai, God spoke the Ten Commandments. In the fourth one He reminded man why He gave us the Sabbath. Moses wrote it down in Exodus 20 verses 8 to 11:
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 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: 11 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. (Ex 20:8-11)

Exodus 31 verses 13 to 17 tells us that keeping the Sabbath is like flying a flag or a sign to say that we follow the Creator:
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.... 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Ex 31:13-17)

God told Moses in Leviticus 23 verse 32 how to know what time the Sabbath begins and ends each week:
From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. (Le 23:32)

How to Keep the Sabbath

God gave a special promise to the prophet Isaiah in chapter 58 verses 13 and 14 for those who keep the Sabbath:
13 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: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isa 58:13-14)

As plain as God's instructions are, many people became confused and added many of their own ideas as
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to how we should keep the Sabbath. So Jesus told some stories to show us what God meant in Matthew chapter 12, verses 1-13:
1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 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. 11 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? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. (Mt 12:1-13)
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Luke tells us in chapter 4 verse 16 what Jesus usually did on 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. (Lu 4:16)

Many years after Jesus' death, Luke wrote in Acts chapter 13 and verses 13-16 what the apostles did on the Sabbath day:
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. (Ac 13:13-16)

Then Paul preached a sermon about Jesus. Verses 42 to 45 tell us what happened afterward:
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. 43 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. 44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. (Ac 13:42-45)

The Sabbath in Heaven

In Revelation 22 verse 14 Jesus tells us who has the right to go to heaven:
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Re 22:14)

Isaiah describes more of what we will get to do in the New Earth in chapter 65 verses 17 to 25:
17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no
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more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.... 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpents meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. (Isa 65:17-25)

In the New Earth everyone will keep the Sabbath according to Isaiah 66 verses 22 and 23:
22 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. 23 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. (Isa 66:22-23)

Appeal
David tells us in Psalm 37 verse 4 how we can receive all that our heart desires:
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Ps 37:4)

First we need to delight in the Lord. Job tells us how to do this in chapter 22 and verses 21 to 26:
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. 22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. 23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.... 26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. (Job 22:21-26)

David also testified of how he delighted in God in Psalm 40 verse 8:

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. (Ps 40:8)

Isaiah tells us which commandment will especially help us to delight in God in chapter 58 and verses 13-14:
13 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: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth.... (Isa 58:13-14)

Will you choose today to delight in the Lord and His Sabbath so that He can give you all these things too?

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