The Ten Commandments – Part 3
04/21/18 (02/04) Video Broadcast
The Ten Commandments - Part 3 - Study
The Ten Commandments - Part 4 - Study01:22:10
Part 4 - Questions and Comments34:38
The Ten Commandments - Part 5 - Study01:22:47
The Ten Commandments - Part 6 - Study01:36:19
Part 6 - Questions and Comments25:06
The Ten Commandments - Part 7 - Study01:25:08
Part 7 - Questions and Commments01:11:03
HalleluYah, blessed to be
the name of Yahweh and
Shabbat Shalom to those of
you who're just joining
us, glad to have you
with us as we embark on
continuing our journey through the Ten Commandments. So we're ready to begin our study portion on Commandment number 4.
We're in part 3 right now of the study topic entitled the Ten Commandments, are we really keeping them? Many people believe they are keeping them or are doing a pretty good job. And we're going to examine these a little further, a little deeper just to make sure that we are in line with our father's will because that's the only pathway to blessing, is when we are in line with our father's will. And by that we gain blessing in our life. And you know Ten Commandments are actually pretty popular in Christian, evangelical Christian world. We see Ten Commandments sometimes posted online, in businesses, we have a church here in town that has the Ten Commandments in stone and the entrance there to the church. And so I think that's awesome to have Ten Commandments posted everywhere. But there is a contradiction many times, many people what they really mean by when you say Oh yeah they say the Ten Commandments are great they're all for them what they really mean is you know, honor your parents, don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal those kind of things. But we're talking about those commandments have to do with how we love our fellow men. But then the commandments to deal with how we love our heavenly father, those concepts are not so popular in the general world today.
But most of the Christian world today do recognize the detail of our heavenly father that through tradition there are certain things that most of the world is doing today that is actually a violation of the Ten Commandments and for the most part unknowingly. We've discussed The first 3 Commandments last week, last 2 segments and now in this third segment we're going to examine the fourth Commandment which has to do with the Sabbath. So looking at the Commandment number 4, It says this remember The Sabbath day; Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Yahweh your Mighty One: in it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates: For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. So it is a holy day, it was sanctified at the very beginning of creation during creation week and then we are told to remember it and we are told to keep it holy. It's already holy and we are told to keep it holy and it's ironic to me that the one Commandment that Yahweh says remember is the one Commandment that most people seem to forget. Well It's not a Jewish Commandment, it is something that was established at the very beginning on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done then Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it he rested from all his work which Elohim had created and made. And so there was a specific day in the context of a 7 day week that he himself established in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 there is a specific day that is identified as a day that is sanctified and as a day that is blessed. To be sanctified means to be made holy and therefore when he gave the Ten Commandments he said remember it, remember it because it is holy and therefore keep it holy. That's what we are commanded to do, so we must as part of our observance of the Ten Commandments do the very thing he told us to do. It is a very very simple command, very simple. Just rest on the seventh day of a week: that he himself had established. So he wants one-seventh of our lifetime to be devoted toward resting: and as we see later focusing on him.
But you know this is a lifestyle changing Commandment, if you're not used to doing this, if this is not something that is your normal custom and you come across this Commandment you know there are all kinds of people coming up with all kinds of reasons why we can violate it. Very few people have different views on what it means to commit adultery or idolatry or stealing or whatever. But you have pretty consistent views on all those things but when it comes to the Sabbath views began to vary quite widely. And I think the reason is people simply don't want to do what it plainly says to do, Yahweh says I've given this to you here's what I want you to do for me. And so he wants us to rest and he wants the animals and the people who are in our care to rest with us.
But man has sought to redefine the Sabbath in a different way many will cry out over the so-called redefinition of marriage in our culture today. But you know church tradition has already redefined the Sabbath, both institutions have their origins in the book of Genesis. And we don't have the authority to redefine anything that Yahweh has established both the Old Testament and the New Testament identify the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. And so who are we to change it? We know true tradition has publicly sought to change things but I'm here to tell you we don't have the authority to change anything our father says, not his name and not his Sabbath.
And we don't get to mold our own Elohim the way we want him to be. But those are the 4 most common things that are done or 3 that we define him according to our fancy that's putting another Elohim before him, we change his name and we change his day. Some people think, well, Tom, you know, you talk too much about his name, you talk too much about his day, I disagree with that I don't talk about it every week, occasionally I'll bring it up. But even if I did squeaky wheel gets the grease if everyone's violating commandment number 3, commandment number 4 then it's something we should talk about. And we should talk about it often and maybe you don't think it's important but when Yahweh was trying to select of all the possible Commandments he could have put in stone written with his own finger, he chose the Commandments dealing with his name and the commandments dealing with his day. And so even if it's not important to you It seems to be very important to him and we need to pay close attention to what he's telling us because it is important to him. Now throughout scripture we see Yahweh is very concerned that we understand the difference between the holy and the unholy between the clean and the unclean. In the case of the Sabbath there are certain days that are common or normal days and there are certain days that Yahweh is considering to be holy and set apart to him. Take a look at Ezekiel 22 verse 26 it says; Her
priests have violated my law, and profaned my holy things: they have not distinguished between the holy and the unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. I am profaned when the leaders hide their eyes from Yahweh's Sabbaths, and this is plural meaning there's the Commandment to keep the Sabbath the seventh day of the week but there are other 7 holy days throughout the year that people even today hide their eyes from it so that he is profaned that's how he sees it. We profane him when we ignore his Sabbaths, are you listening to him? Do you care that there are people today who are profaning our heavenly father hiding their eyes from his Sabbaths and ignoring the difference between the unclean and the clean and between the holy and the unholy because Yahweh was very concerned about it to the point he said I am profaned among them.
Now some are under the impression today Oh we don't have to keep the Sabbath days we just need to walk in love, I'm sorry but if you really love our heavenly father part of loving and is choosing to keep holy what he made holy, to respect his holy things. You take a father, you say, he spent a whole year building his child a sailboat for his child to play with a little motor in it and everything. And hands a sailboat to his child, can't wait to see his reaction. The child looks at the sailboat and looks away: and act like nothing ever happened. And then he sits in his room doesn't do anything with it, one day he's being careless it falls over, he doesn't pick it up he steps on it. You wanna talk about disrespect, our heavenly father, through Yahushua, said the Sabbath was made for man. Here's something he made not Jews he says the Sabbath was made for man, and are we trampling all over it. Are we treating it like it doesn't exist? We need to stop listening to man's excuses. When you set down man's excuses and pick up the word of Yahweh and listen to what he's saying he is profaned when we ignore his gifts, when we ignore what is holy, when we set aside we don't remember the things that he has established as being holy. So they did not distinguish between the holy and the unholy did not make known the difference between the clean and the unclean and they hid their eyes from Yahweh's Sabbaths, some things never change and it hasn't.
The very first thing in the Bible, the very first thing that is made holy is Genesis chapter 2. Genesis chapter 2 the Sabbath day, does that get our attention at all? I hope it does I mean It should and so he says remember it and keep it holy. It's not a fuzzy Commandment it really isn't, it's very simple rest on the seventh day that's how you walk in his image and that's how you walk as Yahushua walked.
When Yahushua came it was all of a sudden pleasing to Yahweh that those who claim to believe him are free to make no difference now between the holy and the unholy, between the clean and unclean, to hide their eyes from his holy things as to his holy days. I know it may be difficult for one to believe but our defiling of the Sabbath is one of those things that made it necessary for Yahushua to suffer and die for us, it was a sin.
So we need to view what's important through his eyes rather than the eyes in perspective of the culture or the training we received in seminary or whatever pastor tells us at our local Sunday church. We have to change the way we look at things and try to see things from his angle, from his perspective because we love him. And so what is the greatest command? We know the greatest Commandment is that we love our heavenly father with all our heart, soul and strength right. The second greatest Commandment is that we love our neighbor as ourself. Well if you look at Ten Commandments, the first 4 maybe the fifth Commandment had to do with how we love our heavenly father and so those Commandments are even more important than the Commandments dealing with how we love our fellow man. You might think that telling a lie is worse than breaking the Sabbath but it isn't, or committing adultery is worse than breaking the Sabbath. But it isn't because you commit adultery that's a sin against your own body, that's a sin against your spouse. But when you break the Sabbath: that's a sin against Yahweh, that's a failure to love him. Now they're all a failure to love him but these Commandments are ranked, It almost seems like they're in order of importance. First one, have no Elohim before him, second one don't make an idol or an object out of him, number 3 don't mess with his name, number 4 don't mess with his day, number 5 respect the parents that he put in your life, number 6 don't murder number, 7 don't commit adultery, number 8 don't steal, number 9 don't lie and number 10 don't covet your neighbors belongings. So it must be important to him right, I mean he kinda
of ranked them almost it seems to be like in order of importance because I think murder is worse than adultery and adultery is worse than stealing and so you just seem like it's is in order. Now I can't prove that but it seems that way, so now suppose every person on the earth kept the Sabbath day, for some reason would it get any easier? Would you understand the plain teaching here, remember the Sabbath to keep it holy? Will it be any easier? I would think so and maybe it would be but that shouldn't matter to us whether anybody's doing anything right or not it doesn't matter. But if everybody kept the Sabbath the one guy out there mowing his lawn on Sabbath would be viewed as an apostate and the whole neighborhood would be up in arms about it. But since so many people break the Sabbath today it's not viewed as being particularly significant. If you live in a neighborhood and everyone is a drug dealer and a murderer an adulterer and you're not any of those things but you're feeding the poor all the sudden you feel like you're Mr Righteous as compared to them. But then you're doing other things you shouldn't do, see we can't compare ourselves with ourselves those when Paul said, those who compare themselves with themselves are not wise. So we can't do that, we have to compare ourselves to the holy written word of Yahweh. Now many evangelical Christians today to see the homosexuality occurring in the world and they decry it, sometimes you hear him say well those who practice at a worthy of death according to the Bible. But didn't Yahweh also have the Sabbath-breakers put to death? He did, he must've seen it as a capital crime, a significant crime and so it was so important to Yahweh he kept to himself. What greater importance could he have placed on it except to keep himself? So we gotta listen to it and remember it, it's important to him regardless of whether it's important to you or important to the people of this world it's important for him that we remember it and keep it Holy. How do we keep it holy? We see what we have to refrain and say no work. He wants our bodies to rest; our bodies are not built to go 24/7 with no rest whatsoever. So we need to take a day of rest, now if we go to restaurants on the Sabbath we're basically hiring a servant to do the work for us and he says "do not let your male servant or female servant work on that day"; we are hiring a male or female servant for you to do work for you when you buy and you sell on the Sabbath and so that would be a violation. In fact he says "don't even let your animals work for you on the Sabbath or any foreigner"; so this commandment is not just for Jews it's also for people of other nations to observe otherwise he would say well guys you know these are commandments for the Jews so you know you're foreigners you're free to disobey his okay, he didn't he said everybody keep it, Jew and Gentile alike.
So buying and selling and having others work for us on the Sabbath is forbidden. Now what about electricity and things like that, people always ask that question? If electricity that you're using is electricity for spiritual purposes, has a light to illuminate the room so that you can be able to read the scriptures or in this case for running a broadcast then the work that one is doing is for the heavenly father and that kind of work is acceptable according to scripture. We see the priest will go in on a Sabbath and work in a temple and yet they were blameless because the work they were doing was for Yahweh. But as if it just works for ourselves then that's
where we have a problem, if it's for super spiritual purpose fine, it's not for spiritual purpose it's not appropriate. So we see in Nehemiah chapter 13 he says in those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys; as wine grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I warn them about the day in which they were selling provisions. Men have tire dwelt there also, who brought in fish, and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, what evil thing this is that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? So this is something that's forbidden in buying and selling on the Sabbath. You see Exodus chapter 16:23, Yahweh before he ever gave the Ten Commandments right off the bat he gave them the Sabbath, the Ten Commandments are Exodus 16 and the Sabbath is in Exodus chapter 20. And so he's telling them to look you just now got out of Egypt he couldn't bear the thought of them violating on a Sabbath, so he told them, tomorrow is the Sabbath of rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh: bake what you will bake today, boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourself all that remains be kept until morning. So when he instituted the Sabbath he did the manna, he brought the manna down of heaven to feed the people. And on the sixth day he rained out a double portion of the manna and then you bake it and then you cut it the following day, there will be no manna to gather because that's a day of rest. So he told them "bake what you gonna bake today and boil what you will boil, because tomorrow the Sabbath day so it's a day of rest: So that tells me it's inappropriate to do cooking on the Sabbath as that does involve some work, so on the day before, the 6th day of the week we prepare our food that will be eaten on the Sabbath so that we don't have to cook and things on the Sabbath. So now he also wants our minds to be at ease and not be thinking about work and things like that on the Sabbath. Amos chapter 8 verse 4 he said; Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, and make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be past, so we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may trade, making the ephah small, and the shekel large, falsifying the scales by deceit? Well by that we learn that you know buying and selling on the Sabbath is not appropriate once more now this new moon right here, the only new moon in which the Sabbath is forbidden would be the new moon of the seventh month, I'm sorry buying and selling would be a Sabbath day I should say, would be on the new moon of the seventh month. So it seems to me he is referring to the new moon of the seventh month of the year which is also called Feast of Trumpets. But look at the attitude he's saying Oh man I can't wait till the Sabbath is over; he couldn't wait so he can go out and continue their sins and that's the wrong attitude. So our attitude needs to be right, 1 John 5:3 says; for this is the love of Elohim that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not burdensome. And we need to keep that in mind, we need to have that kind of attitude and they are not burdensome look at all the things that Yahweh does for us every single day of our life, he provides the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we stay in and so so much more, he provided eternal life for the Messiah Yahushua, he died for us, he does so much for us every single day, can we not take a moment to enjoy the thing he's created known as the Sabbath knowing it's ultimately for men and for our own good. And so yes we can and we don't need to call it a burden, we should delight in his ways. So Isaiah 58 verse 12 says; those from among you shall build the old ways places: you shall rise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of streets to dwell in. I don't know how many times I've seen a Christian quote this scripture and act like this was them and then not realize the very next verse which says; 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 Yahweh, 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 Yahweh; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father: the mouth of Yahweh has spoken. So we are going to choose not to find the Sabbath a burden but delight ourselves in Yahweh by delighting in the Sabbath because if you do there will be a blessing attached to it when you delight yourself in the Sabbath Yahweh says you will delight yourself in him.
You get to delight yourself in him, very beautiful picture here of his desire for us and the blessing that comes when we choose to observe the Sabbath the way he's called us to observe it. And he says this is a day for honoring him not doing your own ways, not finding your own pleasure, speaking your own words. This is a day about drawing near to our heavenly father and it's an honor to walk with Yahweh and to spend time with him: we get to know the one who created us from dust and loved us enough to send his own son to the world to save us from our own uncleanness, our own profane ways that sounds like someone I want to get to know and that's the Sabbath. And what it's for, it's for getting to know him, learning more about him, gathering together having a holy convocation as it says in Leviticus chapter 23 verse 3; Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work on it: it is the Sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings. What is a holy convocation?
Well you can find the same, Hebrew there is Miqra Qodesh and the same word Miqra is used herein Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 5 says; Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was standing above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great Elohim. Then all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book in the law of Elohim, and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the miqra. So the word translated reading here is the same word translated convocation here in Leviticus chapter 23. And so it is a day of calling the word miqra has to do with calling out and so we are doing so by reading the Holy Scriptures on his day of rest. So it's a day of drawing near to Yahweh, reading the Holy Scriptures, gathering with his people ideally and getting stronger. You know the Sabbath is there to bless us and so many times you'll see where people having emotional conversion you know or not a real deep seeded conversion and they cry and they go out front into the altar so to speak and they give their life to the Messiah and all that. But then you know a month later they are out doing the same things over before. Now if you had the Sabbath one day a week were you will withdraw yourself from the cares of this life and just as influences and concentrate on keeping one day holy by worshiping, praying, studying, gathering with Yahweh's word not just 2 hours on the roll call Sunday morning. But that would truly strengthen you and help you grow spiritually and so then the Sabbath-keeping would not just be a day of rest but also honestly just a way of life.
And often the keeping of the Sabbath actually keeps us from falling away and just as it will be unthinkable you know not to go to work during the week, the idea of breaking it will eventually become unthinkable because this is the way you've lived for so long. And I've often heard the saying, as we keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath will be used by Yahweh to keep us. In fact Yahweh knew as he told them if you delight in the Sabbath you will delight yourself in Yahweh because he knows now you're going to take time to read the scriptures and draw near to him and delight yourself in him. And Jeremiah chapter 17 Yahweh told the people of Judah; he said to them, Hear the word of Yahweh, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who entered by these gates: Thus says Yahweh; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they did not obey, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. And it shall be, if you heed me carefully, says Yahweh, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work on it; Then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever. Wow, Why? Just because they choose to hallow the Sabbath day to do no work and if they would only observe the Sabbath he said if you only do this, this city shall remain forever. Wow does that not tell you how important it is to him, the difference between life and death between destruction and remaining a city if they would just observe the Sabbath day, that's simple. Because he knew if they observe the Sabbath day would be having the gatherings and hearing the word of Yahweh and it would keep everybody strong spiritually and they would not fall away and therefore they would not need to be judged as a nation. So what I'm telling you is true and biblical, we need the Sabbath day, we do we have to work I mean we have to work 6 days and that's fine. You know you need it to survive and Yahweh wants us to work those 6 days but then there's one day he tells us to meet with me, learn from me, this is a holy day, walk as I walk as I rested on the seventh day you rest. But then he says and if they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the low land, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and green offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, to the house of Yahweh. But if you will not heed me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden, when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. Lookout! Your choice, guys, your choice and he made it very clear now one of most common excuses today to disobey Yahweh's Commandment those people say well you know this is one Commandment of the 10 that's just not been repeated in the New Testament actually it's not true New Testament never repeats the Commandment not to take the name of Yahweh in vain. Do you think it's okay to take his name in vain? No, then why do you think it's okay profane his holiday, either way Yahushua and apostles didn't need to go around telling people to keep the Sabbath keep the Sabbath it was just a way of life in those days. And there are a number of things that are not repeated in the New Testament but are still observed by mainstream Christians today. There's no commandment in the New Testament forbidding a woman to wear a man's garment, there is no commandment forbidding bestiality, wearing tattoos or being cruel to animals, or taking interest from your fellow believers or taking bribes. There's no commandment in the New Testament that says take 10 percent of your income to give it to your church, don't you dare say that that one is done away with. Brothers there's a lot of excuses as to why people don't want to do what he plainly told to do. Let's not fall prey to any of them, rather lets reprove them and the things that they're saying. Another one of the popular ones is whether the Messiah is the Sabbath now and so we rest in him. But the commandment actually says 6 days you shall labor and do all your work it never says 7 days you shall rest. So how can that be a fulfillment of the commandment? It's very plain easy to understand commandment and whether you believe in Messiah or not we all know we have to work for a living and so you can't rest all 7 days. And we all know that if we try to work every single day our bodies will be exhausted and not healthy. So You know it even says our animals need rest, they are resting in Messiah also. If you're a farmer living in early 1900 the Sabbath wasn't just made for you also your animals can get a break too. You know so are you going to just have them out there working in the fields and thinking they're out there resting on the resting in Messiah while they're working in your fields for you I hope not. But you know Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 12 to 14 says ; observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as Yahweh your Mighty One commanded you. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Yahweh your Mighty One: in it you shalt do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your maleservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. Notice it says it was for the stranger also, so your animals are supposed to rest they can't be resting in Messiah; they don't need a Savior to deliver them from their sins right. Seriously where do these come from? The idea I just I rest in Messiah.
It did not come from the old days of Christianity you know 1800 you will be hard pressed to find any businesses open on the first day of the week; you will be hard pressed to find anybody out there working their fields on the first day of the week if they claim to be a Christian. In fact our nation still has on the books laws called the blue laws which forbid anyone from having any kind of business operation running on the first day of the week. In fact there are still laws on the books you can't have alcohol being sold on the first day of the week that's all because people were trying to avoid the profane mix with a holy day. And many Christians today still make that a day of rest and so how is it denying the rest that we have in Messiah to make the seventh day of the week? How is denying the rest we have in Messiah to take the seventh day of the week as a holy day to rest our bodies? How can it even be denying the Messiah to rest our bodies at all? Are we denying the rest we have in Messiah by going to sleep every night?
No, why don't you say that while you resting in Messiah so don't go to sleep. Your bodies need rest and now I know Yahushua said to the crowd he said, come to me all you 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.
All right so what is he talking about here? He never says come to me and you will find rest for your bodies, in fact you'll never have to sleep again or take a day rest again, that's not what he said he says you will find rest for your souls. Psalm 116 verse 7 says; Yahweh preserves the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul; for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you. To have rest in your soul has to do with receiving salvation, because otherwise your souls will be in torment, your souls will be you know, when you say you wanna go out and save souls does that mean you're gonna go out and they can now go break the Shabbat? No he's talking about they were in a condition of torment and that they were not at peace with our heavenly father but once we come to the Messiah Yahushua we become saved through him on the day of resurrection he will pull us up out of the grave and so on. But you see apart from Messiah our soul is in great danger, apart from Messiah our soul will be destroyed in the lake of fire, apart from him we have no salvation, he is the way the truth the life. He isn't saying come to him and you can stop keeping the Sabbath day now, only to start keeping on the first day of the week. No, he's saying he's going to give you rest for your soul because our soul would otherwise be afflicted and in torment, the Sabbath was made for man so his body would rest, he has time to stop and focus on his relationship with the heavenly father. In Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16 he says; Thus says Yahweh, Stand in the ways, and see, ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, then you will find rest for your souls. And how does that line up with what Yahushua said? But they said we will not walk it.
Also I set watchmen over you, saying, listen to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, we will not listen. Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear O earth: behold, I will certainly bring calamity on these people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded my words, or my law, but have rejected it. They have not heeded my words nor my law but rejected it. Therefore, they were not finding for their souls, this through repentance we turn away from sin and we go back to the old ways the ancient paths, the way he established in the very beginning for us to live, for us to walk, for us to function as people as human beings there are certain ways he expected us to live that is where the good way is, the old paths, Ten Commandments.
And it's through repentance, turning away from violating those Commandments and turning toward Yahushua the Messiah for the forgiveness of sin, turning away from violation the commandments and turning toward Yahushua that we find the complete rest for our souls that we're seeking, makes sense? It's always been about repentance and faith in Yahushua that is the fundamental foundation of the goodness.
So if you want to manifest our Savior live the way he did, he kept the Sabbath day some say well you know he rose on the first day of the week and so we changed it to the Sabbath to the first day of the week. Well it would make more sense if we're really showing the world what Messiah is like if we rest like when he rested in the grave you know and he rose and goes to prepare a place for us on the first day of the week. So you know you're showing the world what Messiah is like if you're living like he did, you're living differently than he did how they gonna see who he is? And when he keeps the Sabbath day he kept it on the seventh day of the week if he didn't he would be a transgressor of the law and therefore he would have been a sinner according to the law. If he was a sinner according to law he would have not been able to be our Savior, he'll need a Savior himself.
Now some say well didn't he go through the green fields and do all that and rub a few kernels of wheat so he could eat? It was never a violation of the Ten Commandments to do that, he never says you can't do that, that's not, just go out and rub a few kernels and eat it.
So if you want to manifest Messiah to the whole world just live as he did and you will, it'll happen you have to do it. But whosoever keeps his word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him: by this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself to walk, just as he walked. So I don't see the logic we live differently than how Messiah lived than we're proclaiming him. But then we live just like him and somehow you're denying him. You're not denying him by keeping the Sabbath, it doesn't make any sense, you live like him and you walk as he walked, he's the same yesterday today and forever, he doesn't change, he isn't different today than he was when he walked the earth and he won't be any different when he returns, he's the same.
So you live like he did that's the way we're supposed to live. Alright, so now some say well you know we keep on the first day of the week because the apostles that's what they did oh really, and they'll quote Acts chapter 20 in verse 7 and say; on the first day
of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them, ready to depart on the morning; he was continuing his speech until midnight. I'm looking I don't see the word Sabbath in the verse anywhere I don't see the word that the Sabbath has now been changed I don't see it, do you see anywhere? I mean if it's said it was the fifth day of the week and they got together and they broke bread does that mean the Sabbath changed to the fifth day of the week? No it's just saying, identifying the time when they got together that's all. It doesn't say anything about a new Sabbath or anything. So I don't I don't see the logic in there, now breaking bread was just a reference to eating and it was very common and even today it's common, if you attend a Sabbath keeping congregation and they stay together throughout the day that they will then get together after the Sabbath is over and cook and have a meal together, not unusual at all. So that's what they were doing because that's when you can actually cook and so you have to get together you have a meal and in this case he continued talking always continuing in talk because he was talking already on the Sabbath, so it was continuing that discourse until midnight. So because they were gathering on the Sabbath day, the first day of the week is actually when the sun goes down that's when the first day of the week starts and so I know it's different than what we do today, midnight but the word is midnight of Sabbath, it doesn't midnight day today is from the Romans. The bible says evening and morning ,first day evening and morning second day, so the days began at evening and so what the world call Saturday night, the first day of the week arose or came to be and there they were breaking bread together and he continued talking to them until midnight. So there you go to me that makes more sense than all
this first completely changes the Ten Commandments scratch them out because now it's the first day of the week that we rest. No that has not been changed it's in stone signifying the importance and the eternal nature of all Ten of them. Now some say we keep a spiritual Sabbath now, we keep a spiritual Sabbath, we can't keep the spiritual when you're violating the physical in other words you know you're gonna spiritually commit adultery by you know thinking in your heart to commit adultery with somebody you know if you went out and actually physically commit adultery you couldn't claim that you were somehow spiritually keeping it, doesn't work that way. If you're breaking it physically you're breaking is spiritually also. So really the Ten Commandments are not multiple choice you don't get to pick which ones you deserve but we're so far removed from the teaching of the Ten Commandments in its real form that people just take a lax view of it. So there's no scripture anywhere to support the idea of violating the Sabbath, there is no scripture saying a change in fact this one right here it's not 100 percent clear first of the week the actual, what it really says is first of the week, doesn't even say the first day of the week, in fact
what it actually says is first of the Sabbaths, with the word Sabbath and the word week we're kind of used interchangeably so it may actually mean week. But look it up in the Greek and you find that the word week is actually translated Sabbath, but anyway people say well you know we changed it because Messiah rose on that day, we don't need an allegory to justify yourself you just need the word of Yahweh and you've to show me in the word of Yahweh where it ever changed and then if you want to do your allegory go ahead but you gotta show clear authorization from the scriptures before you change it. Now another place would be a 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the assemblies of Galatia, so must do also. On the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as Messiah has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Now the first day of the week again would be after the sun goes down what the world call Saturday night, then they would store up there you know whatever they brought in, collect your bunnies or whatever and that's the appropriate time to do it, not during the Sabbath and so that's why they did on the first day of the week. So that makes more sense to me, now so the only place you're going to find where the Sabbath is ever changed is in seminaries and Catholic teachings and church history. You're not gonna find it in scripture, now the Protestants back in the 1500s decided that they were going to go with Sola Scriptura only scripture, set aside tradition together and make the scriptures our sole standard of appeal and source of doctrines.
In fact, the Catholic Church was actually going to consider doing that very thing, adopting Sola Scriptura and not church tradition as their standard. Well, they got together in 1545 during what's called the Council of Trent and in the Council of Trent the Archbishop of Reggio turned the entire council against this Protestant Reformation by saying this; The PROTESTANTS claim to stand upon "the written word only" -- they profess to hold the SCRIPTURE ALONE as the standard of faith. They justify their revolt by the plea that the church has apostatized from the written word and follows TRADITION. Now the Protestants' claim, that they stand upon the written word alone, IS NOT TRUE. If they truly hold "the scripture alone as a standard" they would be observing the Sabbath the seventh day as it is enjoined in the scripture throughout. Yet they not only reject the observance of the Sabbath as enjoined in the written word but they have adopted and do practice the observance of Sunday for which they only have only the tradition of the Catholic church. Now when this argument was made the Council unanimously condemned Protestantism and the entire Protestant Reformation Movement. You see the Protestants were not willing to let go of that much tradition, there was some anti-Semitism they couldn't fathom the idea of observing the Sabbath on the same day that those rascal Jews observe it. And so they really had nothing to say and the man made a tremendous point, he really did even though he was a Catholic he made a very valid point and they were speechless to the whole thing. So there's only one place you can find the
observance of the first day of the week justified and that's from Trent traditions of men, and that's the only place. It certainly wasn't and the practice of the early apostles looks at Acts 13:42 says; when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now, why would he say this and they actually agreed and when he had met the next Sabbath. Why wouldn't Paul and others say listen" the Sabbath has been changed to the first day of the week, so why don't you meet with us tomorrow morning at Sunday church services"?
Nope it didn't happen if you read the context they went the next Sabbath they got together.
And in here Acts 15:21 says; For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Now what day is this? This is the seventh day of the week right clearly and yet we have the writings of the early church
recognizing that the Sabbath is really only one day of the week and that is the seventh day of the week. They weren't meeting in synagogues on what the world calls Sunday, they're meeting on the Sabbath which is the 7th day of the week commonly called Saturday. Here's again Acts 16:13; on the Sabbath we went out
of the city by a river side, where prayer was customarily made; we sat down, and spoke to the women we met there. So every place in the New Testament where it says the Sabbath never is it the first day of the week, every time it is the seventh day of the week, no question. So when you read the Ten Commandments it tells you to observe the Sabbath remember there's only one day the New Testament defines as the Sabbath and that's the seventh day of the week.
Now some say well you know as long as you keep one day out of 7 the rest doesn't really matter, to that I say this suppose for a moment there was a
man has 7 sheep and he said son I want you to go
up on the hill and I want you to sheer the seventh sheep that was born on this farm named Missy and
I want to set that that wool sign for special use and so go up on the hill please and sheer the wool from the seventh sheep. So he went and he sheered the wool of the first sheep instead, now then he went and he brought the wool to his father, he says here dad I have done what you asked me to do, did he really, did he really? I think we all know the answer, he did not, and he did not do what his father told him to do. So did he do his father's will? Absolutely not, now Yahweh created all days if he told his children to remember the seventh day of the week all 7 days he made, the entire construct of a week is something he invented okay. And, he says on the seventh day of the week I want to set that aside and do the thing that I did which is rest for the special purpose he wants you to rest but then his children go and keep the first day of the week instead. Are we doing our fathers will?
I think we know the answer we're not. Now a common argument today is that we cannot know which day is actually the seventh day of the week, the time has been lost and how do we know what's called the seventh day of the week today is actually the same day that was observed in ancient times?
All the further you need to go back is Yahushua's time, okay. But our modern calendar which is known as the Gregorian calendar actually is just an adjustment where the days of the week did not change but the days of the month did. So the change from the Ancient Julian calendar from Julius Caesar to the Gregorian calendar did not change the series of the days of the week it only changed the days of the month okay. Now the Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after the consultation with an astronomer, I don't how to say about Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year. The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days that are divided in 12 months with a leap day added to February every 4 years. The Julian year therefore is on average 365.25 days long. And then the Gregorian calendar says Spain, Portugal and the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and most of Italy implement the new calendar on Friday 10/15/1582 following Julian Thursday 10/4/1582 so there October 15 and then it went October 4.
And France adopted a new calendar on Monday 12/20/1582 in the following Sunday 12/9/1582
so it went from Sunday To Monday and here it went
from Thursday to Friday. So Friday followed Thursday and we have Monday is following Sunday, so the days of the week did not change it was the days of the month that actually made the change. Now If you look at the Roman calendar that was observed since 46 BC I don't particularly agree with the idea that the Sabbath day is now called Saturday, the reason why it's called Saturday because the Romans identified the seventh day of the week as the day of Saturn, okay. So it comes from Saturn's day that's where it comes from, now I don't agree with naming that day the day of Saturn but I find it interesting that Frontinus a Roman soldier who lived from 40 CD to 103 CD, so he was a first-century Roman soldier. He wrote a book on military strategy called, Strategematicon in 84 AD and he wrote this he said; the deified Augustus Vespasian attack the Jews on the day of Saturn, a day on which it is sinful for them to do any business okay. So he was recognizing the Sabbath day was lining up with what they called the day of Saturn all the way back in the first century and so in light of that we
commonly have today as was called Saturday. It's still called the day of Saturn even today and that has not changed, the Sabbath is not changed. The only way it could possibly be because after 70 AD the Jews were just scattered all over the world, okay. The only way it could possibly be that the Sabbath was changed is if as a my good friend Larry said all the Jews woke up one day and forgot what the Sabbath was or simultaneously decided they're going to change it, without a trace of evidence by anybody talking about it without any record of it whatsoever. No, the Jews have been keeping the Sabbath for a millennia. They are so strict about it. They're not going to change it to a different day. Believe me, they're not, okay. Besides that it was really in the interest of 3 major religions to never change the sequence of days because Christianity wanted to observe the first day of the week, Islam wanted to keep the 6th day of the week and then the Jews wanted to keep the seventh day of the week and so their religions all were intricately linked with the 7 day week and so there was no interest to change the weeks at all.
Now when does the Sabbath begin, you know most Christians today who claim that they keep the first day of the week actually don't do it, they keep half of the first and part of the second day of the week as the Sabbath. Because when Sunday morning comes that's when they observe a new day, and they think like the Romans days begin at midnight but that's not the way Yahweh set things up. Genesis chapter 1, the evening and morning were the first day, evening morning were the second day, evening and morning were the third day, evening and morning were the fourth day, and so on. So the days begin at evening. That's when the days begin. So, we're going to look at what the world calls Friday night as the beginning of the 7th day and the end of the 6th day. And so that's when we observe our Sabbath from evening to evening. He didn't hand Adam a watch when he created all things and says okay when the clock strikes midnight that's the new day, it was just the signs in the heavens telling us that sun is going down therefore the day is indeed a new day begins. Now in some circles today some people believe that day begins at sunrise, but they're gonna have a really hard time with 2 verses in the Bible number one John chapter 20 says; on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went out to the tomb early, while it was still dark. Okay the first day of the week begins a new day at sunrise okay and why while it was still dark is even called the first day of the week. Follow me? So, if the first day of the week began at sunrise then why was the first day of the week when it was still dark? That's because the Sabbath had ended the previous night and the first day of the week had begun that previous night which the world call Saturday night. And therefore it was still dark and the first day of the week is already here, the first day of the week began that evening before. So the sun had not risen and yet it's already the first day of the week and therefore a new day cannot begin at sunrise no matter which way you try to slice it. Another example Nehemiah chapter 13:15 says; In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading donkeys; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I warned them about the day which they were selling provisions. Now I want you to notice that they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day all these burdens okay, pay close attention to that. Going down to verse 19 it says; so it was the gates of Jerusalem as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates be shut, and charged that they must not be opened until after the Sabbath (that alone tells us when the Sabbath starts): and I posted some of my servants at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day. That's why he changed he close it at dark because when dark came the Sabbath day will start. Now the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I warned them, and said to them, why do you spent the night around the wall? if you do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. When were they coming? They were coming on the Sabbath that's when they were coming, that's when they were coming to spend the night around the wall, they were coming on the Sabbath. That alone tells me that the Sabbath begins when it is dark otherwise let's say from that time on they came no more on the day before the Sabbath.
But no they came to spend the night around the wall, that night was a Sabbath and he said don't do it.
So when were they bringing the burdens in? They were bringing them in on the Sabbath and that's why they shut the gates just before dark so they would not bring those burdens in on the Sabbath, simple as that. So you have to understand there is always going to
be an alternative presented by the enemy. Yahweh says something and the enemy just like the lie he did with Eve in the garden well hath Elohim said here to do it this way, it'll be something different than what Yahweh said. Satan is always looking for ways to cause people to break the commandments of Yahweh, Yahweh set for us to keep the Sabbath day holy, he didn't so the part creation assets remember only to tell later we can forget about that thing, just forget about the whole thing you know. No he said to remember it's and keep it holy and that's his law that's the Ten Commandments. Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law for sin is the transgression of law 1 John 3:4. Romans 7:7 I would not have known sin except through the law for I would not have known covetousness unless the law has said you shall not covet. So the Ten Commandments are clearly referenced here right Ten Commandments you shall not covet is one of ten. And that is a sin that's how you learn what sin through the Ten Commandments tell us to observe the Sabbath and don't covet and don't commit adultery and all these other things. So we are called to be imitators of Elohim, what did Elohim do during the 7 day week? He established the very beginning he rested on the Sabbath day and that's why we are in his image because he created us in his image and therefore if we are in is the image we will imitate him and we will do the things that he did including Sabbath observance. Yahushua says he is the image of the invisible Elohim what did he do with the Sabbath command? He rested on the seventh day and therefore you claim to abide in him and you need to walk just as he walked and Paul himself observe the Sabbath throughout the book of Acts you see it several times and he told them to imitate me just as I also imitate Messiah, that simple. So servant is not above his master right, that's
what Yahushua said to us that servant is not above his master. He observed the Sabbath don't think that you're above him and you can violate it. We are the servants Yahushua is our master he kept the Sabbath we walk as he walked. And so if he lives in you I encourage you to bring abundant blessings into your life by following the footsteps of our Savior and his apostles by keeping holy the day that our father made holy and Yahushua kept holy. And then you will even more so than he ever had before delight yourself in the Sabbath, you delight
yourself in Yahweh as you delight yourself in the Sabbath. its high time that man listen to the father in heaven and keep holy what he made holy and make that distinction between the holy and the unholy, the clean and the unclean. Yahweh wants our time brothers and sisters and he appointed a day for us to come together as his people and pay attention to what he has to say of us. And so I say this set aside the vain traditions and commandments of men which cause us to reject the commandment of Yahweh or alter it to our own doings. Let's just do exactly what he told us to do we will never go wrong doing that, the enemy loves his substitutes, substitute names, substitute status, substitute holidays, you name it. I say to you accept no substitutes; the original is always the best especially when it comes from the mouth of Yahweh accept no substitutes. Let's pray, O father Yahweh thank you for your
word, thank you for this day of rest, thank you for your loving kindness, for your compassion, your mercy upon us. We know father Yahweh at times we have strayed from your teachings as a people our Messiah bring us back
to the right way, to the good way the old paths where the good way is. Bring us back to the example of our Savior Yahushua and learn of him. The meek and lowly servant who walked in your image and let it be that we would walk as he walked, not turning to the right or to the left. We are turning ourselves completely and wholly to you into the example that you yourself have set for us for any among us who have neglected this area I pray father you have mercy upon them, they will call upon you seeking forgiveness and that you would bring that forgiveness to them.
Strengthen each one of us father Yahweh in your word. Thank you for providing for us a day where we can completely, totally devote ourselves to you and set aside the cares of this world, the work that we have and just fully and totally focus on your word. For truly your word is the truth: and Yahushua is the way, the truth, and the life. And truly yours is the kingdom and power and glory and majesty, forever and ever In Yahushua's great name we pray, Amein
continuing our journey through the Ten Commandments. So we're ready to begin our study portion on Commandment number 4.
We're in part 3 right now of the study topic entitled the Ten Commandments, are we really keeping them? Many people believe they are keeping them or are doing a pretty good job. And we're going to examine these a little further, a little deeper just to make sure that we are in line with our father's will because that's the only pathway to blessing, is when we are in line with our father's will. And by that we gain blessing in our life. And you know Ten Commandments are actually pretty popular in Christian, evangelical Christian world. We see Ten Commandments sometimes posted online, in businesses, we have a church here in town that has the Ten Commandments in stone and the entrance there to the church. And so I think that's awesome to have Ten Commandments posted everywhere. But there is a contradiction many times, many people what they really mean by when you say Oh yeah they say the Ten Commandments are great they're all for them what they really mean is you know, honor your parents, don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal those kind of things. But we're talking about those commandments have to do with how we love our fellow men. But then the commandments to deal with how we love our heavenly father, those concepts are not so popular in the general world today.
But most of the Christian world today do recognize the detail of our heavenly father that through tradition there are certain things that most of the world is doing today that is actually a violation of the Ten Commandments and for the most part unknowingly. We've discussed The first 3 Commandments last week, last 2 segments and now in this third segment we're going to examine the fourth Commandment which has to do with the Sabbath. So looking at the Commandment number 4, It says this remember The Sabbath day; Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Yahweh your Mighty One: in it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates: For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. So it is a holy day, it was sanctified at the very beginning of creation during creation week and then we are told to remember it and we are told to keep it holy. It's already holy and we are told to keep it holy and it's ironic to me that the one Commandment that Yahweh says remember is the one Commandment that most people seem to forget. Well It's not a Jewish Commandment, it is something that was established at the very beginning on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done then Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it he rested from all his work which Elohim had created and made. And so there was a specific day in the context of a 7 day week that he himself established in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 there is a specific day that is identified as a day that is sanctified and as a day that is blessed. To be sanctified means to be made holy and therefore when he gave the Ten Commandments he said remember it, remember it because it is holy and therefore keep it holy. That's what we are commanded to do, so we must as part of our observance of the Ten Commandments do the very thing he told us to do. It is a very very simple command, very simple. Just rest on the seventh day of a week: that he himself had established. So he wants one-seventh of our lifetime to be devoted toward resting: and as we see later focusing on him.
But you know this is a lifestyle changing Commandment, if you're not used to doing this, if this is not something that is your normal custom and you come across this Commandment you know there are all kinds of people coming up with all kinds of reasons why we can violate it. Very few people have different views on what it means to commit adultery or idolatry or stealing or whatever. But you have pretty consistent views on all those things but when it comes to the Sabbath views began to vary quite widely. And I think the reason is people simply don't want to do what it plainly says to do, Yahweh says I've given this to you here's what I want you to do for me. And so he wants us to rest and he wants the animals and the people who are in our care to rest with us.
But man has sought to redefine the Sabbath in a different way many will cry out over the so-called redefinition of marriage in our culture today. But you know church tradition has already redefined the Sabbath, both institutions have their origins in the book of Genesis. And we don't have the authority to redefine anything that Yahweh has established both the Old Testament and the New Testament identify the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. And so who are we to change it? We know true tradition has publicly sought to change things but I'm here to tell you we don't have the authority to change anything our father says, not his name and not his Sabbath.
And we don't get to mold our own Elohim the way we want him to be. But those are the 4 most common things that are done or 3 that we define him according to our fancy that's putting another Elohim before him, we change his name and we change his day. Some people think, well, Tom, you know, you talk too much about his name, you talk too much about his day, I disagree with that I don't talk about it every week, occasionally I'll bring it up. But even if I did squeaky wheel gets the grease if everyone's violating commandment number 3, commandment number 4 then it's something we should talk about. And we should talk about it often and maybe you don't think it's important but when Yahweh was trying to select of all the possible Commandments he could have put in stone written with his own finger, he chose the Commandments dealing with his name and the commandments dealing with his day. And so even if it's not important to you It seems to be very important to him and we need to pay close attention to what he's telling us because it is important to him. Now throughout scripture we see Yahweh is very concerned that we understand the difference between the holy and the unholy between the clean and the unclean. In the case of the Sabbath there are certain days that are common or normal days and there are certain days that Yahweh is considering to be holy and set apart to him. Take a look at Ezekiel 22 verse 26 it says; Her
priests have violated my law, and profaned my holy things: they have not distinguished between the holy and the unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. I am profaned when the leaders hide their eyes from Yahweh's Sabbaths, and this is plural meaning there's the Commandment to keep the Sabbath the seventh day of the week but there are other 7 holy days throughout the year that people even today hide their eyes from it so that he is profaned that's how he sees it. We profane him when we ignore his Sabbaths, are you listening to him? Do you care that there are people today who are profaning our heavenly father hiding their eyes from his Sabbaths and ignoring the difference between the unclean and the clean and between the holy and the unholy because Yahweh was very concerned about it to the point he said I am profaned among them.
Now some are under the impression today Oh we don't have to keep the Sabbath days we just need to walk in love, I'm sorry but if you really love our heavenly father part of loving and is choosing to keep holy what he made holy, to respect his holy things. You take a father, you say, he spent a whole year building his child a sailboat for his child to play with a little motor in it and everything. And hands a sailboat to his child, can't wait to see his reaction. The child looks at the sailboat and looks away: and act like nothing ever happened. And then he sits in his room doesn't do anything with it, one day he's being careless it falls over, he doesn't pick it up he steps on it. You wanna talk about disrespect, our heavenly father, through Yahushua, said the Sabbath was made for man. Here's something he made not Jews he says the Sabbath was made for man, and are we trampling all over it. Are we treating it like it doesn't exist? We need to stop listening to man's excuses. When you set down man's excuses and pick up the word of Yahweh and listen to what he's saying he is profaned when we ignore his gifts, when we ignore what is holy, when we set aside we don't remember the things that he has established as being holy. So they did not distinguish between the holy and the unholy did not make known the difference between the clean and the unclean and they hid their eyes from Yahweh's Sabbaths, some things never change and it hasn't.
The very first thing in the Bible, the very first thing that is made holy is Genesis chapter 2. Genesis chapter 2 the Sabbath day, does that get our attention at all? I hope it does I mean It should and so he says remember it and keep it holy. It's not a fuzzy Commandment it really isn't, it's very simple rest on the seventh day that's how you walk in his image and that's how you walk as Yahushua walked.
When Yahushua came it was all of a sudden pleasing to Yahweh that those who claim to believe him are free to make no difference now between the holy and the unholy, between the clean and unclean, to hide their eyes from his holy things as to his holy days. I know it may be difficult for one to believe but our defiling of the Sabbath is one of those things that made it necessary for Yahushua to suffer and die for us, it was a sin.
So we need to view what's important through his eyes rather than the eyes in perspective of the culture or the training we received in seminary or whatever pastor tells us at our local Sunday church. We have to change the way we look at things and try to see things from his angle, from his perspective because we love him. And so what is the greatest command? We know the greatest Commandment is that we love our heavenly father with all our heart, soul and strength right. The second greatest Commandment is that we love our neighbor as ourself. Well if you look at Ten Commandments, the first 4 maybe the fifth Commandment had to do with how we love our heavenly father and so those Commandments are even more important than the Commandments dealing with how we love our fellow man. You might think that telling a lie is worse than breaking the Sabbath but it isn't, or committing adultery is worse than breaking the Sabbath. But it isn't because you commit adultery that's a sin against your own body, that's a sin against your spouse. But when you break the Sabbath: that's a sin against Yahweh, that's a failure to love him. Now they're all a failure to love him but these Commandments are ranked, It almost seems like they're in order of importance. First one, have no Elohim before him, second one don't make an idol or an object out of him, number 3 don't mess with his name, number 4 don't mess with his day, number 5 respect the parents that he put in your life, number 6 don't murder number, 7 don't commit adultery, number 8 don't steal, number 9 don't lie and number 10 don't covet your neighbors belongings. So it must be important to him right, I mean he kinda
of ranked them almost it seems to be like in order of importance because I think murder is worse than adultery and adultery is worse than stealing and so you just seem like it's is in order. Now I can't prove that but it seems that way, so now suppose every person on the earth kept the Sabbath day, for some reason would it get any easier? Would you understand the plain teaching here, remember the Sabbath to keep it holy? Will it be any easier? I would think so and maybe it would be but that shouldn't matter to us whether anybody's doing anything right or not it doesn't matter. But if everybody kept the Sabbath the one guy out there mowing his lawn on Sabbath would be viewed as an apostate and the whole neighborhood would be up in arms about it. But since so many people break the Sabbath today it's not viewed as being particularly significant. If you live in a neighborhood and everyone is a drug dealer and a murderer an adulterer and you're not any of those things but you're feeding the poor all the sudden you feel like you're Mr Righteous as compared to them. But then you're doing other things you shouldn't do, see we can't compare ourselves with ourselves those when Paul said, those who compare themselves with themselves are not wise. So we can't do that, we have to compare ourselves to the holy written word of Yahweh. Now many evangelical Christians today to see the homosexuality occurring in the world and they decry it, sometimes you hear him say well those who practice at a worthy of death according to the Bible. But didn't Yahweh also have the Sabbath-breakers put to death? He did, he must've seen it as a capital crime, a significant crime and so it was so important to Yahweh he kept to himself. What greater importance could he have placed on it except to keep himself? So we gotta listen to it and remember it, it's important to him regardless of whether it's important to you or important to the people of this world it's important for him that we remember it and keep it Holy. How do we keep it holy? We see what we have to refrain and say no work. He wants our bodies to rest; our bodies are not built to go 24/7 with no rest whatsoever. So we need to take a day of rest, now if we go to restaurants on the Sabbath we're basically hiring a servant to do the work for us and he says "do not let your male servant or female servant work on that day"; we are hiring a male or female servant for you to do work for you when you buy and you sell on the Sabbath and so that would be a violation. In fact he says "don't even let your animals work for you on the Sabbath or any foreigner"; so this commandment is not just for Jews it's also for people of other nations to observe otherwise he would say well guys you know these are commandments for the Jews so you know you're foreigners you're free to disobey his okay, he didn't he said everybody keep it, Jew and Gentile alike.
So buying and selling and having others work for us on the Sabbath is forbidden. Now what about electricity and things like that, people always ask that question? If electricity that you're using is electricity for spiritual purposes, has a light to illuminate the room so that you can be able to read the scriptures or in this case for running a broadcast then the work that one is doing is for the heavenly father and that kind of work is acceptable according to scripture. We see the priest will go in on a Sabbath and work in a temple and yet they were blameless because the work they were doing was for Yahweh. But as if it just works for ourselves then that's
where we have a problem, if it's for super spiritual purpose fine, it's not for spiritual purpose it's not appropriate. So we see in Nehemiah chapter 13 he says in those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys; as wine grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I warn them about the day in which they were selling provisions. Men have tire dwelt there also, who brought in fish, and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, what evil thing this is that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? So this is something that's forbidden in buying and selling on the Sabbath. You see Exodus chapter 16:23, Yahweh before he ever gave the Ten Commandments right off the bat he gave them the Sabbath, the Ten Commandments are Exodus 16 and the Sabbath is in Exodus chapter 20. And so he's telling them to look you just now got out of Egypt he couldn't bear the thought of them violating on a Sabbath, so he told them, tomorrow is the Sabbath of rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh: bake what you will bake today, boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourself all that remains be kept until morning. So when he instituted the Sabbath he did the manna, he brought the manna down of heaven to feed the people. And on the sixth day he rained out a double portion of the manna and then you bake it and then you cut it the following day, there will be no manna to gather because that's a day of rest. So he told them "bake what you gonna bake today and boil what you will boil, because tomorrow the Sabbath day so it's a day of rest: So that tells me it's inappropriate to do cooking on the Sabbath as that does involve some work, so on the day before, the 6th day of the week we prepare our food that will be eaten on the Sabbath so that we don't have to cook and things on the Sabbath. So now he also wants our minds to be at ease and not be thinking about work and things like that on the Sabbath. Amos chapter 8 verse 4 he said; Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, and make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be past, so we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may trade, making the ephah small, and the shekel large, falsifying the scales by deceit? Well by that we learn that you know buying and selling on the Sabbath is not appropriate once more now this new moon right here, the only new moon in which the Sabbath is forbidden would be the new moon of the seventh month, I'm sorry buying and selling would be a Sabbath day I should say, would be on the new moon of the seventh month. So it seems to me he is referring to the new moon of the seventh month of the year which is also called Feast of Trumpets. But look at the attitude he's saying Oh man I can't wait till the Sabbath is over; he couldn't wait so he can go out and continue their sins and that's the wrong attitude. So our attitude needs to be right, 1 John 5:3 says; for this is the love of Elohim that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not burdensome. And we need to keep that in mind, we need to have that kind of attitude and they are not burdensome look at all the things that Yahweh does for us every single day of our life, he provides the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we stay in and so so much more, he provided eternal life for the Messiah Yahushua, he died for us, he does so much for us every single day, can we not take a moment to enjoy the thing he's created known as the Sabbath knowing it's ultimately for men and for our own good. And so yes we can and we don't need to call it a burden, we should delight in his ways. So Isaiah 58 verse 12 says; those from among you shall build the old ways places: you shall rise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of streets to dwell in. I don't know how many times I've seen a Christian quote this scripture and act like this was them and then not realize the very next verse which says; 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 Yahweh, 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 Yahweh; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father: the mouth of Yahweh has spoken. So we are going to choose not to find the Sabbath a burden but delight ourselves in Yahweh by delighting in the Sabbath because if you do there will be a blessing attached to it when you delight yourself in the Sabbath Yahweh says you will delight yourself in him.
You get to delight yourself in him, very beautiful picture here of his desire for us and the blessing that comes when we choose to observe the Sabbath the way he's called us to observe it. And he says this is a day for honoring him not doing your own ways, not finding your own pleasure, speaking your own words. This is a day about drawing near to our heavenly father and it's an honor to walk with Yahweh and to spend time with him: we get to know the one who created us from dust and loved us enough to send his own son to the world to save us from our own uncleanness, our own profane ways that sounds like someone I want to get to know and that's the Sabbath. And what it's for, it's for getting to know him, learning more about him, gathering together having a holy convocation as it says in Leviticus chapter 23 verse 3; Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work on it: it is the Sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings. What is a holy convocation?
Well you can find the same, Hebrew there is Miqra Qodesh and the same word Miqra is used herein Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 5 says; Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was standing above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great Elohim. Then all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book in the law of Elohim, and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the miqra. So the word translated reading here is the same word translated convocation here in Leviticus chapter 23. And so it is a day of calling the word miqra has to do with calling out and so we are doing so by reading the Holy Scriptures on his day of rest. So it's a day of drawing near to Yahweh, reading the Holy Scriptures, gathering with his people ideally and getting stronger. You know the Sabbath is there to bless us and so many times you'll see where people having emotional conversion you know or not a real deep seeded conversion and they cry and they go out front into the altar so to speak and they give their life to the Messiah and all that. But then you know a month later they are out doing the same things over before. Now if you had the Sabbath one day a week were you will withdraw yourself from the cares of this life and just as influences and concentrate on keeping one day holy by worshiping, praying, studying, gathering with Yahweh's word not just 2 hours on the roll call Sunday morning. But that would truly strengthen you and help you grow spiritually and so then the Sabbath-keeping would not just be a day of rest but also honestly just a way of life.
And often the keeping of the Sabbath actually keeps us from falling away and just as it will be unthinkable you know not to go to work during the week, the idea of breaking it will eventually become unthinkable because this is the way you've lived for so long. And I've often heard the saying, as we keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath will be used by Yahweh to keep us. In fact Yahweh knew as he told them if you delight in the Sabbath you will delight yourself in Yahweh because he knows now you're going to take time to read the scriptures and draw near to him and delight yourself in him. And Jeremiah chapter 17 Yahweh told the people of Judah; he said to them, Hear the word of Yahweh, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who entered by these gates: Thus says Yahweh; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they did not obey, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. And it shall be, if you heed me carefully, says Yahweh, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work on it; Then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever. Wow, Why? Just because they choose to hallow the Sabbath day to do no work and if they would only observe the Sabbath he said if you only do this, this city shall remain forever. Wow does that not tell you how important it is to him, the difference between life and death between destruction and remaining a city if they would just observe the Sabbath day, that's simple. Because he knew if they observe the Sabbath day would be having the gatherings and hearing the word of Yahweh and it would keep everybody strong spiritually and they would not fall away and therefore they would not need to be judged as a nation. So what I'm telling you is true and biblical, we need the Sabbath day, we do we have to work I mean we have to work 6 days and that's fine. You know you need it to survive and Yahweh wants us to work those 6 days but then there's one day he tells us to meet with me, learn from me, this is a holy day, walk as I walk as I rested on the seventh day you rest. But then he says and if they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places around Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the low land, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and green offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, to the house of Yahweh. But if you will not heed me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden, when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. Lookout! Your choice, guys, your choice and he made it very clear now one of most common excuses today to disobey Yahweh's Commandment those people say well you know this is one Commandment of the 10 that's just not been repeated in the New Testament actually it's not true New Testament never repeats the Commandment not to take the name of Yahweh in vain. Do you think it's okay to take his name in vain? No, then why do you think it's okay profane his holiday, either way Yahushua and apostles didn't need to go around telling people to keep the Sabbath keep the Sabbath it was just a way of life in those days. And there are a number of things that are not repeated in the New Testament but are still observed by mainstream Christians today. There's no commandment in the New Testament forbidding a woman to wear a man's garment, there is no commandment forbidding bestiality, wearing tattoos or being cruel to animals, or taking interest from your fellow believers or taking bribes. There's no commandment in the New Testament that says take 10 percent of your income to give it to your church, don't you dare say that that one is done away with. Brothers there's a lot of excuses as to why people don't want to do what he plainly told to do. Let's not fall prey to any of them, rather lets reprove them and the things that they're saying. Another one of the popular ones is whether the Messiah is the Sabbath now and so we rest in him. But the commandment actually says 6 days you shall labor and do all your work it never says 7 days you shall rest. So how can that be a fulfillment of the commandment? It's very plain easy to understand commandment and whether you believe in Messiah or not we all know we have to work for a living and so you can't rest all 7 days. And we all know that if we try to work every single day our bodies will be exhausted and not healthy. So You know it even says our animals need rest, they are resting in Messiah also. If you're a farmer living in early 1900 the Sabbath wasn't just made for you also your animals can get a break too. You know so are you going to just have them out there working in the fields and thinking they're out there resting on the resting in Messiah while they're working in your fields for you I hope not. But you know Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 12 to 14 says ; observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as Yahweh your Mighty One commanded you. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Yahweh your Mighty One: in it you shalt do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your maleservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. Notice it says it was for the stranger also, so your animals are supposed to rest they can't be resting in Messiah; they don't need a Savior to deliver them from their sins right. Seriously where do these come from? The idea I just I rest in Messiah.
It did not come from the old days of Christianity you know 1800 you will be hard pressed to find any businesses open on the first day of the week; you will be hard pressed to find anybody out there working their fields on the first day of the week if they claim to be a Christian. In fact our nation still has on the books laws called the blue laws which forbid anyone from having any kind of business operation running on the first day of the week. In fact there are still laws on the books you can't have alcohol being sold on the first day of the week that's all because people were trying to avoid the profane mix with a holy day. And many Christians today still make that a day of rest and so how is it denying the rest that we have in Messiah to make the seventh day of the week? How is denying the rest we have in Messiah to take the seventh day of the week as a holy day to rest our bodies? How can it even be denying the Messiah to rest our bodies at all? Are we denying the rest we have in Messiah by going to sleep every night?
No, why don't you say that while you resting in Messiah so don't go to sleep. Your bodies need rest and now I know Yahushua said to the crowd he said, come to me all you 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.
All right so what is he talking about here? He never says come to me and you will find rest for your bodies, in fact you'll never have to sleep again or take a day rest again, that's not what he said he says you will find rest for your souls. Psalm 116 verse 7 says; Yahweh preserves the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul; for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you. To have rest in your soul has to do with receiving salvation, because otherwise your souls will be in torment, your souls will be you know, when you say you wanna go out and save souls does that mean you're gonna go out and they can now go break the Shabbat? No he's talking about they were in a condition of torment and that they were not at peace with our heavenly father but once we come to the Messiah Yahushua we become saved through him on the day of resurrection he will pull us up out of the grave and so on. But you see apart from Messiah our soul is in great danger, apart from Messiah our soul will be destroyed in the lake of fire, apart from him we have no salvation, he is the way the truth the life. He isn't saying come to him and you can stop keeping the Sabbath day now, only to start keeping on the first day of the week. No, he's saying he's going to give you rest for your soul because our soul would otherwise be afflicted and in torment, the Sabbath was made for man so his body would rest, he has time to stop and focus on his relationship with the heavenly father. In Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16 he says; Thus says Yahweh, Stand in the ways, and see, ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, then you will find rest for your souls. And how does that line up with what Yahushua said? But they said we will not walk it.
Also I set watchmen over you, saying, listen to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, we will not listen. Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear O earth: behold, I will certainly bring calamity on these people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded my words, or my law, but have rejected it. They have not heeded my words nor my law but rejected it. Therefore, they were not finding for their souls, this through repentance we turn away from sin and we go back to the old ways the ancient paths, the way he established in the very beginning for us to live, for us to walk, for us to function as people as human beings there are certain ways he expected us to live that is where the good way is, the old paths, Ten Commandments.
And it's through repentance, turning away from violating those Commandments and turning toward Yahushua the Messiah for the forgiveness of sin, turning away from violation the commandments and turning toward Yahushua that we find the complete rest for our souls that we're seeking, makes sense? It's always been about repentance and faith in Yahushua that is the fundamental foundation of the goodness.
So if you want to manifest our Savior live the way he did, he kept the Sabbath day some say well you know he rose on the first day of the week and so we changed it to the Sabbath to the first day of the week. Well it would make more sense if we're really showing the world what Messiah is like if we rest like when he rested in the grave you know and he rose and goes to prepare a place for us on the first day of the week. So you know you're showing the world what Messiah is like if you're living like he did, you're living differently than he did how they gonna see who he is? And when he keeps the Sabbath day he kept it on the seventh day of the week if he didn't he would be a transgressor of the law and therefore he would have been a sinner according to the law. If he was a sinner according to law he would have not been able to be our Savior, he'll need a Savior himself.
Now some say well didn't he go through the green fields and do all that and rub a few kernels of wheat so he could eat? It was never a violation of the Ten Commandments to do that, he never says you can't do that, that's not, just go out and rub a few kernels and eat it.
So if you want to manifest Messiah to the whole world just live as he did and you will, it'll happen you have to do it. But whosoever keeps his word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him: by this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself to walk, just as he walked. So I don't see the logic we live differently than how Messiah lived than we're proclaiming him. But then we live just like him and somehow you're denying him. You're not denying him by keeping the Sabbath, it doesn't make any sense, you live like him and you walk as he walked, he's the same yesterday today and forever, he doesn't change, he isn't different today than he was when he walked the earth and he won't be any different when he returns, he's the same.
So you live like he did that's the way we're supposed to live. Alright, so now some say well you know we keep on the first day of the week because the apostles that's what they did oh really, and they'll quote Acts chapter 20 in verse 7 and say; on the first day
of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them, ready to depart on the morning; he was continuing his speech until midnight. I'm looking I don't see the word Sabbath in the verse anywhere I don't see the word that the Sabbath has now been changed I don't see it, do you see anywhere? I mean if it's said it was the fifth day of the week and they got together and they broke bread does that mean the Sabbath changed to the fifth day of the week? No it's just saying, identifying the time when they got together that's all. It doesn't say anything about a new Sabbath or anything. So I don't I don't see the logic in there, now breaking bread was just a reference to eating and it was very common and even today it's common, if you attend a Sabbath keeping congregation and they stay together throughout the day that they will then get together after the Sabbath is over and cook and have a meal together, not unusual at all. So that's what they were doing because that's when you can actually cook and so you have to get together you have a meal and in this case he continued talking always continuing in talk because he was talking already on the Sabbath, so it was continuing that discourse until midnight. So because they were gathering on the Sabbath day, the first day of the week is actually when the sun goes down that's when the first day of the week starts and so I know it's different than what we do today, midnight but the word is midnight of Sabbath, it doesn't midnight day today is from the Romans. The bible says evening and morning ,first day evening and morning second day, so the days began at evening and so what the world call Saturday night, the first day of the week arose or came to be and there they were breaking bread together and he continued talking to them until midnight. So there you go to me that makes more sense than all
this first completely changes the Ten Commandments scratch them out because now it's the first day of the week that we rest. No that has not been changed it's in stone signifying the importance and the eternal nature of all Ten of them. Now some say we keep a spiritual Sabbath now, we keep a spiritual Sabbath, we can't keep the spiritual when you're violating the physical in other words you know you're gonna spiritually commit adultery by you know thinking in your heart to commit adultery with somebody you know if you went out and actually physically commit adultery you couldn't claim that you were somehow spiritually keeping it, doesn't work that way. If you're breaking it physically you're breaking is spiritually also. So really the Ten Commandments are not multiple choice you don't get to pick which ones you deserve but we're so far removed from the teaching of the Ten Commandments in its real form that people just take a lax view of it. So there's no scripture anywhere to support the idea of violating the Sabbath, there is no scripture saying a change in fact this one right here it's not 100 percent clear first of the week the actual, what it really says is first of the week, doesn't even say the first day of the week, in fact
what it actually says is first of the Sabbaths, with the word Sabbath and the word week we're kind of used interchangeably so it may actually mean week. But look it up in the Greek and you find that the word week is actually translated Sabbath, but anyway people say well you know we changed it because Messiah rose on that day, we don't need an allegory to justify yourself you just need the word of Yahweh and you've to show me in the word of Yahweh where it ever changed and then if you want to do your allegory go ahead but you gotta show clear authorization from the scriptures before you change it. Now another place would be a 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the assemblies of Galatia, so must do also. On the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as Messiah has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Now the first day of the week again would be after the sun goes down what the world call Saturday night, then they would store up there you know whatever they brought in, collect your bunnies or whatever and that's the appropriate time to do it, not during the Sabbath and so that's why they did on the first day of the week. So that makes more sense to me, now so the only place you're going to find where the Sabbath is ever changed is in seminaries and Catholic teachings and church history. You're not gonna find it in scripture, now the Protestants back in the 1500s decided that they were going to go with Sola Scriptura only scripture, set aside tradition together and make the scriptures our sole standard of appeal and source of doctrines.
In fact, the Catholic Church was actually going to consider doing that very thing, adopting Sola Scriptura and not church tradition as their standard. Well, they got together in 1545 during what's called the Council of Trent and in the Council of Trent the Archbishop of Reggio turned the entire council against this Protestant Reformation by saying this; The PROTESTANTS claim to stand upon "the written word only" -- they profess to hold the SCRIPTURE ALONE as the standard of faith. They justify their revolt by the plea that the church has apostatized from the written word and follows TRADITION. Now the Protestants' claim, that they stand upon the written word alone, IS NOT TRUE. If they truly hold "the scripture alone as a standard" they would be observing the Sabbath the seventh day as it is enjoined in the scripture throughout. Yet they not only reject the observance of the Sabbath as enjoined in the written word but they have adopted and do practice the observance of Sunday for which they only have only the tradition of the Catholic church. Now when this argument was made the Council unanimously condemned Protestantism and the entire Protestant Reformation Movement. You see the Protestants were not willing to let go of that much tradition, there was some anti-Semitism they couldn't fathom the idea of observing the Sabbath on the same day that those rascal Jews observe it. And so they really had nothing to say and the man made a tremendous point, he really did even though he was a Catholic he made a very valid point and they were speechless to the whole thing. So there's only one place you can find the
observance of the first day of the week justified and that's from Trent traditions of men, and that's the only place. It certainly wasn't and the practice of the early apostles looks at Acts 13:42 says; when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now, why would he say this and they actually agreed and when he had met the next Sabbath. Why wouldn't Paul and others say listen" the Sabbath has been changed to the first day of the week, so why don't you meet with us tomorrow morning at Sunday church services"?
Nope it didn't happen if you read the context they went the next Sabbath they got together.
And in here Acts 15:21 says; For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Now what day is this? This is the seventh day of the week right clearly and yet we have the writings of the early church
recognizing that the Sabbath is really only one day of the week and that is the seventh day of the week. They weren't meeting in synagogues on what the world calls Sunday, they're meeting on the Sabbath which is the 7th day of the week commonly called Saturday. Here's again Acts 16:13; on the Sabbath we went out
of the city by a river side, where prayer was customarily made; we sat down, and spoke to the women we met there. So every place in the New Testament where it says the Sabbath never is it the first day of the week, every time it is the seventh day of the week, no question. So when you read the Ten Commandments it tells you to observe the Sabbath remember there's only one day the New Testament defines as the Sabbath and that's the seventh day of the week.
Now some say well you know as long as you keep one day out of 7 the rest doesn't really matter, to that I say this suppose for a moment there was a
man has 7 sheep and he said son I want you to go
up on the hill and I want you to sheer the seventh sheep that was born on this farm named Missy and
I want to set that that wool sign for special use and so go up on the hill please and sheer the wool from the seventh sheep. So he went and he sheered the wool of the first sheep instead, now then he went and he brought the wool to his father, he says here dad I have done what you asked me to do, did he really, did he really? I think we all know the answer, he did not, and he did not do what his father told him to do. So did he do his father's will? Absolutely not, now Yahweh created all days if he told his children to remember the seventh day of the week all 7 days he made, the entire construct of a week is something he invented okay. And, he says on the seventh day of the week I want to set that aside and do the thing that I did which is rest for the special purpose he wants you to rest but then his children go and keep the first day of the week instead. Are we doing our fathers will?
I think we know the answer we're not. Now a common argument today is that we cannot know which day is actually the seventh day of the week, the time has been lost and how do we know what's called the seventh day of the week today is actually the same day that was observed in ancient times?
All the further you need to go back is Yahushua's time, okay. But our modern calendar which is known as the Gregorian calendar actually is just an adjustment where the days of the week did not change but the days of the month did. So the change from the Ancient Julian calendar from Julius Caesar to the Gregorian calendar did not change the series of the days of the week it only changed the days of the month okay. Now the Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after the consultation with an astronomer, I don't how to say about Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year. The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days that are divided in 12 months with a leap day added to February every 4 years. The Julian year therefore is on average 365.25 days long. And then the Gregorian calendar says Spain, Portugal and the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and most of Italy implement the new calendar on Friday 10/15/1582 following Julian Thursday 10/4/1582 so there October 15 and then it went October 4.
And France adopted a new calendar on Monday 12/20/1582 in the following Sunday 12/9/1582
so it went from Sunday To Monday and here it went
from Thursday to Friday. So Friday followed Thursday and we have Monday is following Sunday, so the days of the week did not change it was the days of the month that actually made the change. Now If you look at the Roman calendar that was observed since 46 BC I don't particularly agree with the idea that the Sabbath day is now called Saturday, the reason why it's called Saturday because the Romans identified the seventh day of the week as the day of Saturn, okay. So it comes from Saturn's day that's where it comes from, now I don't agree with naming that day the day of Saturn but I find it interesting that Frontinus a Roman soldier who lived from 40 CD to 103 CD, so he was a first-century Roman soldier. He wrote a book on military strategy called, Strategematicon in 84 AD and he wrote this he said; the deified Augustus Vespasian attack the Jews on the day of Saturn, a day on which it is sinful for them to do any business okay. So he was recognizing the Sabbath day was lining up with what they called the day of Saturn all the way back in the first century and so in light of that we
commonly have today as was called Saturday. It's still called the day of Saturn even today and that has not changed, the Sabbath is not changed. The only way it could possibly be because after 70 AD the Jews were just scattered all over the world, okay. The only way it could possibly be that the Sabbath was changed is if as a my good friend Larry said all the Jews woke up one day and forgot what the Sabbath was or simultaneously decided they're going to change it, without a trace of evidence by anybody talking about it without any record of it whatsoever. No, the Jews have been keeping the Sabbath for a millennia. They are so strict about it. They're not going to change it to a different day. Believe me, they're not, okay. Besides that it was really in the interest of 3 major religions to never change the sequence of days because Christianity wanted to observe the first day of the week, Islam wanted to keep the 6th day of the week and then the Jews wanted to keep the seventh day of the week and so their religions all were intricately linked with the 7 day week and so there was no interest to change the weeks at all.
Now when does the Sabbath begin, you know most Christians today who claim that they keep the first day of the week actually don't do it, they keep half of the first and part of the second day of the week as the Sabbath. Because when Sunday morning comes that's when they observe a new day, and they think like the Romans days begin at midnight but that's not the way Yahweh set things up. Genesis chapter 1, the evening and morning were the first day, evening morning were the second day, evening and morning were the third day, evening and morning were the fourth day, and so on. So the days begin at evening. That's when the days begin. So, we're going to look at what the world calls Friday night as the beginning of the 7th day and the end of the 6th day. And so that's when we observe our Sabbath from evening to evening. He didn't hand Adam a watch when he created all things and says okay when the clock strikes midnight that's the new day, it was just the signs in the heavens telling us that sun is going down therefore the day is indeed a new day begins. Now in some circles today some people believe that day begins at sunrise, but they're gonna have a really hard time with 2 verses in the Bible number one John chapter 20 says; on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went out to the tomb early, while it was still dark. Okay the first day of the week begins a new day at sunrise okay and why while it was still dark is even called the first day of the week. Follow me? So, if the first day of the week began at sunrise then why was the first day of the week when it was still dark? That's because the Sabbath had ended the previous night and the first day of the week had begun that previous night which the world call Saturday night. And therefore it was still dark and the first day of the week is already here, the first day of the week began that evening before. So the sun had not risen and yet it's already the first day of the week and therefore a new day cannot begin at sunrise no matter which way you try to slice it. Another example Nehemiah chapter 13:15 says; In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading donkeys; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I warned them about the day which they were selling provisions. Now I want you to notice that they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day all these burdens okay, pay close attention to that. Going down to verse 19 it says; so it was the gates of Jerusalem as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates be shut, and charged that they must not be opened until after the Sabbath (that alone tells us when the Sabbath starts): and I posted some of my servants at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day. That's why he changed he close it at dark because when dark came the Sabbath day will start. Now the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I warned them, and said to them, why do you spent the night around the wall? if you do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. When were they coming? They were coming on the Sabbath that's when they were coming, that's when they were coming to spend the night around the wall, they were coming on the Sabbath. That alone tells me that the Sabbath begins when it is dark otherwise let's say from that time on they came no more on the day before the Sabbath.
But no they came to spend the night around the wall, that night was a Sabbath and he said don't do it.
So when were they bringing the burdens in? They were bringing them in on the Sabbath and that's why they shut the gates just before dark so they would not bring those burdens in on the Sabbath, simple as that. So you have to understand there is always going to
be an alternative presented by the enemy. Yahweh says something and the enemy just like the lie he did with Eve in the garden well hath Elohim said here to do it this way, it'll be something different than what Yahweh said. Satan is always looking for ways to cause people to break the commandments of Yahweh, Yahweh set for us to keep the Sabbath day holy, he didn't so the part creation assets remember only to tell later we can forget about that thing, just forget about the whole thing you know. No he said to remember it's and keep it holy and that's his law that's the Ten Commandments. Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law for sin is the transgression of law 1 John 3:4. Romans 7:7 I would not have known sin except through the law for I would not have known covetousness unless the law has said you shall not covet. So the Ten Commandments are clearly referenced here right Ten Commandments you shall not covet is one of ten. And that is a sin that's how you learn what sin through the Ten Commandments tell us to observe the Sabbath and don't covet and don't commit adultery and all these other things. So we are called to be imitators of Elohim, what did Elohim do during the 7 day week? He established the very beginning he rested on the Sabbath day and that's why we are in his image because he created us in his image and therefore if we are in is the image we will imitate him and we will do the things that he did including Sabbath observance. Yahushua says he is the image of the invisible Elohim what did he do with the Sabbath command? He rested on the seventh day and therefore you claim to abide in him and you need to walk just as he walked and Paul himself observe the Sabbath throughout the book of Acts you see it several times and he told them to imitate me just as I also imitate Messiah, that simple. So servant is not above his master right, that's
what Yahushua said to us that servant is not above his master. He observed the Sabbath don't think that you're above him and you can violate it. We are the servants Yahushua is our master he kept the Sabbath we walk as he walked. And so if he lives in you I encourage you to bring abundant blessings into your life by following the footsteps of our Savior and his apostles by keeping holy the day that our father made holy and Yahushua kept holy. And then you will even more so than he ever had before delight yourself in the Sabbath, you delight
yourself in Yahweh as you delight yourself in the Sabbath. its high time that man listen to the father in heaven and keep holy what he made holy and make that distinction between the holy and the unholy, the clean and the unclean. Yahweh wants our time brothers and sisters and he appointed a day for us to come together as his people and pay attention to what he has to say of us. And so I say this set aside the vain traditions and commandments of men which cause us to reject the commandment of Yahweh or alter it to our own doings. Let's just do exactly what he told us to do we will never go wrong doing that, the enemy loves his substitutes, substitute names, substitute status, substitute holidays, you name it. I say to you accept no substitutes; the original is always the best especially when it comes from the mouth of Yahweh accept no substitutes. Let's pray, O father Yahweh thank you for your
word, thank you for this day of rest, thank you for your loving kindness, for your compassion, your mercy upon us. We know father Yahweh at times we have strayed from your teachings as a people our Messiah bring us back
to the right way, to the good way the old paths where the good way is. Bring us back to the example of our Savior Yahushua and learn of him. The meek and lowly servant who walked in your image and let it be that we would walk as he walked, not turning to the right or to the left. We are turning ourselves completely and wholly to you into the example that you yourself have set for us for any among us who have neglected this area I pray father you have mercy upon them, they will call upon you seeking forgiveness and that you would bring that forgiveness to them.
Strengthen each one of us father Yahweh in your word. Thank you for providing for us a day where we can completely, totally devote ourselves to you and set aside the cares of this world, the work that we have and just fully and totally focus on your word. For truly your word is the truth: and Yahushua is the way, the truth, and the life. And truly yours is the kingdom and power and glory and majesty, forever and ever In Yahushua's great name we pray, Amein